Art and Community in California's Pomona Valley, 1930—1980 | Wendy Slatkin

This volume is the first comprehensive overview of the achievements of a remarkable group of architects, painters, sculptors and ceramicists centered in Claremont. The impact of these artists on a national level is addressed.   Starting with a brief historical background, the volume is divided into four chronological chapters spanning the years from 1930 to 1980. Art and Community includes biographical sketches of thirty-one of the most important creators and a selected bibliography. It is lavishly illustrated with both archival photos and full color images and comes with a protective slipcase.   

Art and Community in California’s Pomona Valley, 1930-1980 is a hardbound volume with a protective slipcase.  Over 150 illustrations mainly in color provide the visual narrative for this first comprehensive overview of the achievements of a remarkable group of architects, painters, sculptors, and ceramicists centered in Claremont. The impact of these artists on a national level is addressed.   Starting with a brief historical background, the volume is divided into four chronological chapters spanning the years from 1930 to 1980. Art and Community includes biographical sketches of thirty-one of the most important creators and a selected bibliography. This book is a well-designed addition to anyone’s art library. 

Portrait of a Community: Selections from the Chaffey Community Museum of Art | Wendy Slatkin

Filling a void in scholarship on the organization originally known as the Chaffey Community Art Association (CCAA), this book is a valuable resource for both scholars and the general public interested in the richly active art community of the Pomona Valley.  Written by Dr. Wendy Slatkin with essays by noted scholar Adam Arenson and Shelley Klein, the book illustrates over 40 works by regional artists.

The text is divided into four parts. Part 1 includes essays providing background on the foundation of the museum by Helen and Frances Line, and key features in its history, an overview of the artists of the Pomona Valley from the 1930s, and an essay by Arenson. Part 2 includes biographical information and short essays on 27 works from the museum’s collection, accompanied with full page illustrations. Part 3 is a brief discussion of the Robert George and Harriet White Collections, bequeathed to the CCMA by these two prominent artists active in the leadership of the organization. Part 4 is composed of the information on sixteen “Artists of the Year” (2005-2020) and illustrations of their works in the museum collection.

Author Biography

Dr. Slatkin is the author of the first comprehensive history of art in the region:  Art and Commnity in California’s Pomona Valley:  1930-1980 (CCMA, 2026). Previously, Dr. Slatkin authored Portrait of a Community:  Selections from the Chaffey Community Museum of Art (CCMA and Inlandia Institute, 2021). 

Dr. Slatkin was awarded her Ph.D. in art history from the University of Pennsylvania. She has over 30 years of teaching experience, at the college level.She is an emeritus facullty member of Cal Poly, Pomona.   She has expertise in all time periods of western art history, from antiquity to the modern age, with a special interest in women artists.  Prof. Slatkin has published a number of scholarly articles, in peer reviewed publications, and is the author of Women Artists in History (Cognella, 6th edition, 2026) and In Her Own Words (Cognella, 2nd edition, 2019.)