Webb Teachers, Students Make Art History at the L.A. County Fair

Webb teachers and students will be demonstrating how art was made from prehistory to the dawn of the Industrial Revolution at the art exposition at this year's L.A. County Fair.

Jesse Standlea and his students will be constructing "Project Tower," a 12-foot-tall structure representing the evolution of art through time. The tower's bronze spires, made of salvaged materials, will showcase an array of collages, paintings, reliefs, and ceramic tiles created by Webb students, each representing the art of a different culture and era. "Culturally, Webb is very diverse, and I wanted to use that in the design," Mr. Standlea explained. "The imagery that started to develop is pretty amazing."

Not only will the students' work depict art from across history, it's being made using some ancient methods. "I wanted to use some older techniques for this project," said Mr. Standlea. "We're going to do some ancient-type pit firings for the ceramics, and perhaps a dung firing, which was another technique used in some areas." He said the project is giving the students an insight into "the whole picture of what it was like to be an artist in other times and places."

Also exploring ancient techniques at the exposition is teacher Blair Maffris, who will be demonstrating the art of stone carving. Mr. Maffris is hand-carving a sculpture out of soapstone, and answering questions about the long history of the art form. He noted that carved stone artifacts are as old as cave paintings, if not older. While the tools have evolved, he said, "The process is a universal quality. It's the same."

The demonstration will also show a more personal side of Mr. Maffris, who has been a stone carver since college. "I don't carve as much as I would like to," he said, but recalled that he felt a connection with the art form from the start. "It was something innately in me," he explained. He hopes that Webb students will come to watch, and that some will be inspired to give it a try. "I have ideas about doing some carving on campus," he said, "and maybe having a couple of student apprentices."

Both the tower and Mr. Maffris's stone sculpture will take shape over the course of the exposition. When the tower is complete, it will join the towers built by other artists on a parade through the fairgrounds, letting visitors get a look at the work Mr. Standlea and his students have done.

The Making of Art exposition is at the Millard Sheets Center for the Arts at the Fairplex in Pomona. It began September 5 and runs through October 4. Mr. Maffris's demonstrations began last weekend and will continue on Saturday, September 12, 19, and 26 from opening until 4 pm, and the evenings of Friday, September 11 and 18. Mr. Standlea's students will be working on the tower on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays throughout the fair, with the pit firing on Saturday, September 12. Mr. Standlea is tracking their progress on the Project Tower blog: www.projecttower.wordpress.com. The tower parade will be held on the afternoon of Saturday, October 3.