Though an exhibition at the La Jolla Historical Society showcases a key part of La Jolla’s past, it’s also entrenched in its present and future.
“La Jolla Surf: Culture, Art, Craft,” which opens Saturday, Feb. 8, features interviews and exhibits from some of the artists, surfers and surfboard builders who have lived in or ed through La Jolla. A short film created for the exhibition will introduce visitors to a few of the “ocean lovers, oddballs, outcasts, poets and geniuses” who focused their lives on local surfing spots.
“La Jolla Surf” features photos by Roy Porello, Jeff Divine and Ron Church; original artwork by John Van Hamersveld; and surfboards from the greatest shapers in the region.
Curator John Durant, a professional photographer and UC San Diego graduate based in Southern California since 1978, is a lifelong surfer who has worked as a photographer for Rusty Surfboards, Gordon & Smith Surfboards, Bing, Larry Mabile and Dennis Murphy. Durant previously worked with the La Jolla Historical Society on its “Rare Trees, Sacred Canyons” exhibition in 2023.
“Even then, John and I were brainstorming and thinking about other projects that we might like to work on in the future,” said Historical Society Executive Director Lauren Lockhart. “I approached him more than a year ago, letting him know that I’m really interested in growing our oral history collection at the Historical Society and I was thinking about how to bring groups of people together to share their personal narratives on a particular topic, having sort of a listening session.”
Soon, the idea emerged to focus on surfing.
“I was so excited that John was interested in this idea, and he took it one step further and said ‘If we’re going to do this, we should really do it right,’” Lockhart said.
Durant set out to find “as many of the old crusty original crew that were … the guys that came back from World War II, from Hawaii and the Pacific Theater with surfboards” he said.
At least 20 surfers were interviewed, resulting in more than an hour of edited footage. It created the centerpiece of the exhibition.
“We covered the pre-baby boom and boomer eras, and then the generations that succeeded the boomers,” Durant said. “We sketched a picture of California that went back about 100 years.”
“This is not intended to be a comprehensive history of surfing,” he added. “It really is a snapshot of some of the figures who have helped develop the [local] surfing community.”
Though experiences varied among the surfers who were interviewed, “at least once in every interview, people talked about the very powerful spiritual component of just getting in the water,” Durant said. “There is a psychological benefit, and medicinal benefit almost, of just going in the water, even if you didn’t catch a wave.”
The interviewees discussed how surfing is “a subculture but it’s a super-interesting subculture that refuses to stay inside the boundaries,” he said. They also covered the impact of Hollywood making surfing movies in the 1950s.
In addition to the short film, the show includes surfboards “handmade in someone’s garage, handpainted and ridden to death,” Durant said, along with photos spanning decades.
The showcase demonstrates “how surfing is kind of a permanent part of the California existence and a permanent part of La Jolla life,” he said.
Given the number of La Jollans who surf or feel a similar deep connection to the ocean, “I know these stories will resonate with our viewers,” Lockhart said.
The interview footage will be archived in the La Jolla Historical Society collection so it can be accessible to researchers.
During the exhibit’s 3½-month run, the Historical Society will screen several surf films on its lawn, host family activities centered on surfing, offer tours of UC San Diego’s Craft Center and its shaping room, and more.
In addition, Van Hamersveld, whose credits include deg the poster for the surf film “The Endless Summer” and the album covers for the Rolling Stones’ “Exile on Main Street” and the Beatles’ “Magical Mystery Tour,” designed a poster for which 100 prints will be made and sold.
“La Jolla Surf: Culture, Art, Craft” runs Feb. 8 through Sunday, May 25, at the Historical Society’s Wisteria Cottage, 780 Prospect St. An opening reception will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7.
Normal gallery hours are noon to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. ission is free. Find out more at lajollahistory.org/la-jolla-surf. ♦
