Hazel Gowan Salmi (1893–1986) was an American visual artist, educator, and arts administrator.[1] She was a painter, as well as the founder and director of the Richmond Art Center.[1][2][3] She lived in Point Richmond, California for many years.[1]
Hazel Gowan Salmi | |
|---|---|
| Born | Hazel P. Gowan November 11, 1893 Rockport, Mendocino County, California, U.S. |
| Died | April 22, 1986 San Pablo, California, U.S. |
| Education | California School of Design (BFA), Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design, University of California, Berkeley, California College of Arts and Crafts |
| Occupation(s) | Visual artist, arts administrator |
| Known for | Founder of Richmond Art Center, painter, flower arranger, leather worker |
| Spouse | Martin Emanuel Salmi (m. 1916–1964; his death) |
| Children | 1 |
Early life and education
editHazel Gowan Salmi was born on November 11, 1893, in Rockport, an unincorporated community in Mendocino County, California.[4] She was the child of Stella Bella (née Brown) and Ernest Albert Gowan.[4]
She graduated from California School of Design (later known as San Francisco Art Institute) in 1912.[1] She continued her arts education at Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design in San Francisco, the University of California, Berkeley, and at California College of Arts and Crafts (now California College of the Arts).[1]
In 1916, she married Martin Emanuel Salmi.[4] They had one son.
Career
editIn 1921, Salmi decided to move to the San Francisco Bay Area permanently, settling in Point Richmond, California. There were no art classes or resources, so she started to teach art classes. In 1936, Salmi began teaching classes under the Emergency Education Program (EEP) of the Works Progress Administration (WPA).[5] In 1938, the City of Richmond granted Salmi an old Health Department building to use for classes and exhibitions.[5]
In the 1940s, Salmi and other artists petitioned the City of Richmond to include a permanent art center as part of the new downtown Civic Center development. In 1950 Richmond Art Center became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit.[6] The Richmond Art Center's new facilities building opened in 1951,[7] as part of the downtown Civic Center development. From 1936 until 1960, Salmi worked as the founding director of the Richmond Art Center.[8]
She died at age 92 in a convalescent hospital in San Pablo, California.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Hughes, Edan Milton (2002). "Salmi, Hazel". Artists in California, 1786-1940: L-Z. Crocker Art Museum. p. 972. ISBN 978-1-884038-08-2.
- ^ Falk, Peter H. (1999). Who Was Who in American Art 1564–1975: 400 Years of Artists in America. Sound View Press. p. 2879. ISBN 978-0-932087-55-3 – via Google Books.
- ^ Bancroft, Ann (October 11, 1976). "She Turns People on the Arts". Oakland Tribune. ISSN 1068-5936.
- ^ a b c "Salmi, Hazel Gowan". Moore's Who is Who in California. John M. Moore. 1958. p. 640 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b "Featured Organization: Richmond Art Center". Open Space. SFMOMA. 16 December 2019.
- ^ "Richmond Art Center Profile". GuideStar.
- ^ "Art Center Draws 22,000 in Richmond". Oakland Tribune. Dec 2, 1951. ISSN 1068-5936 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Doyle, Bill (June 30, 1960). "House That Hazel Built' Honors Her". Oakland Tribune. ISSN 1068-5936.