Gordon Fuglie sits in his triangular office, stacks of papers neatly piled on his desk. Apparently he has just started his job at the San Luis Obispo Art Center, as his walls are bare, waiting to be filled with decorations.
He has a calming demeanor and an easygoing personality, his eyes wrinkle with wisdom and happiness.
As the Art Center’s new curator for exhibitions and collections, Fuglie is responsible for organizing exhibits and choosing what goes on display – a job that allows him to work with art, an interest he has had since the age of 7.
Fuglie was born and raised in Los Angeles, and has lived on the Central Coast for three weeks, now residing in Atascadero with his wife, Susan, and 10-year-old son Jaron.
He is a painter and sketch artist by nature, but Fuglie’s real passion is for art history.
“When I was in my 20s, while attending UCLA, I visited art museums and figured out I wanted to study art history,” Fuglie said. “One professor of mine in art history encouraged me to apply for an internship at the Getty Museum, and I got it.”
Fuglie then worked under the Academic Affairs for Guest Scholars program that invited international- and senior-level art historians to speak at lectures and work on the museum’s collections.
“At the time, the museum was changing from Getty’s personal team of art collectors and curators, buying pieces for him with no experience in museum professionalism,” he said. “When I got there they were really trying to reach out to the public. It was an exciting time to get involved with the Getty.”
After his internship at the Getty ended, Fuglie was hired at UCLA’s Grunwald Center for the Arts. There, he was in charge of paper art collections (those dealing with drawings, etchings, lithographs and photographs). Fuglie stayed at UCLA for five years before he became director of the Laband Art Gallery at Loyola Marymount University and remained there for 17 years. After a brief stint in Kansas, Fuglie and his family arrived on the Central Coast, glad to be back in California.
“Nothing against Kansas, but the people here in California are so welcoming and nice. I really felt that after a week of living here that my family and I (had) been accepted into the community,” Fuglie said.
Fuglie’s concentration will be toward gearing up the Art Center for some major changes. It will become a museum where major artists – not just locally-known ones – will be able to present their artwork in San Luis Obispo. International works will be displayed, and more attention will be paid to getting the word out about exhibitions.
“There isn’t a major art museum between L.A. and Monterey,” Fuglie said. “What I hope to do is create a place where serious art collectors here on the Central Coast can contribute their collections and will speak for California art. This is really a great place to have a museum because of the talent here.”
Fuglie believes that the Central Coast is maturing and that San Luis Obispo County is one of the most desirable places to live.
“(Because) of the growth, there is a need for sophistication, and the center needs to adapt to the highest professional standard,” he said.
Fuglie explained that the Art Center would always have local exhibitions, because he wants to protect the local art community and help local artists who want to get their name out there.
“Arnie Nybek founded the Art Center and Karen Kile is the executive director, so there is a direct linkage as to why I came here, and that is to add a little more professionalism to their museum while still maintaining the community feel for the center,” Fuglie said.
He wants to see the Art Center expand its horizons to a museum-quality level. The artwork will be displayed at the highest level within Fuglie’s means, as he feels the immediacy to step up to the plate and take over where Fuglie’s predecessor left off.
“There is a need to protect the artwork as well as the artists,” Fuglie said.
As he walked down the stairs from his office, Fuglie started talking about little changes that could help improve the building. For example, he mentioned a wall just outside his office with paintings on it that really could be better protected.
“Since the sun hits them every day, the paintings could get damaged from the UV rays, so a tinted window needs to be installed as well as shades for the afternoon,” Fuglie said.
Fuglie hasn’t started to book his own shows because he was handed over exhibitions from the center’s previous curator, Amy Grimm; he will begin his own a year from now.
Fuglie also wants to show more work that represents what it is like to live here on the Central Coast. He believes that, since California is such a diverse place and full of different cultures, a museum here in San Luis Obispo would do exceptionally well.
“When I was at Loyola I heard about a famous graphic artist and illustrator, Jean-Fran‡ois Podevin,” he said. “He is well known for his imaginary sketchbooks and has illustrated for the likes of Scientific American. I would love to have him come to the Art Center and show off his work. His style wasn’t quite right for Loyola, but I really feel the people of the Central Coast (would) accept his work.”
Another personal goal for Fuglie is to bring some sculpture to the center.
“I think that sculpture is the orphan of the art world, and it has been replaced with installation art,” he said. “I would love to see more artists use wood and bronze and marble, but I understand how hard it is to be a sculpture artist these days.”
He plans on making a lasting difference to the Art Center, encouraging artists to show him their work and being able to spread their talents.
As for Fuglie’s plans on creating any art of his own: “Only when I retire will I pick up my paintbrush and start again, but right now my time is devoted to the center and bringing more culture to San Luis Obispo,” he said.