Southwestern College Governing Board has plans to demolish the SWC Art Gallery building, a unique and irreplaceable structure with an important history to the region and the world.

*NO DONATIONS NECESSARY (all solicited donations go to Change.org not to the Save SWC Art Gallery)*

HISTORY

The SWC Art Gallery was founded in the Fall of 1961, the College's very first semester, when Southwestern was only two outbuildings on the Chula Vista High School lot. Art Department founder, Robert “Bob” Matheny, screwed white fiberboard panels over lockers in a hallway to create the first Gallery.

In early 1967, Bob Matheny returned from the opening of the prestigious Whitney Museum of American Art’s new building, designed by famed Brutalist architect, Marcel Breuer. He told George D. Foster, Southwestern College’s campus architect of the time, “Build us our own Whitney Museum”. And since late 1968, Southwestern College has boasted a replica of the third-floor gallery of the Whitney's Breuer Building in the form of the current SWC Art Gallery.

Since its conception, the SWC Art Gallery was the epicenter of early progressive changes on campus, exposed the region to new art forms and cultures, inspired the area’s most creative minds, and has continued to show innovative exhibitions to this day.

The SWC Art Gallery Building should NOT be demolished because: 

·         the Interior of the SWC Art Gallery is a replica of the world-famous Whitney Museum of Art Breuer building at 945 Madison Ave, NY allowing students a chance to view world class architecture without leaving campus.

·         the Exterior building design is unique blend of Brutalist and Mayan Revival styles, a crowning achievement by local architect George D. Foster with no comparable buildings found elsewhere in Southern California.

·         The SWC Art Gallery has an important history as an early founder of San Diego Conceptualism and played an important role in the formation of West Coast Conceptualist Art movement (art about ideas rather than formal aesthetics) which would define an era of Contemporary Art world-wide.

·         The Gallery exhibited early works of now world-famous artists (John Baldessari, Bruce Nauman, Judy Chicago, Dennis Oppenheim and more). Our students currently have the opportunity each semester to show in the same space as these world-famous artists once did.

·         The SWC Art Gallery Building is structurally sound. Demolition is not environmentally sustainable. Upgrading and repairing of an existing structure should be the first choice.

·         The Gallery's intricate 2135 sq. ft. cast-in-place concrete ceiling structure would be prohibitively expensive to recreate today. Any new gallery built with existing funds would be a downgrade for our students compared to our existing building.

·         The building dedicated to preserving and promoting the aesthetic and cultural history of our past and present should not be destroyed. Of all the original structures on campus, the SWC Art Gallery Building should be the one that is preserved.

This historic, exquisitely designed, highly functional and irreplaceable building is one of the few features that make Southwestern College's Art Department unique to the region and the world. Help protect this important legacy.

Take Action Now!

Don't let this small group of individuals make this decision about the future of your Gallery building without your input. Act now before a new Update to the Facilities Master Plan is drafted in the coming months.

Sign our petition to Save the SWC Art Gallery building.

Our goal is to:

1.) Have the Southwestern College Governing Board update the Facilities Master Plan to save building 88 (containing the SWC Art Gallery) from its proposed demolition.

2.) Request Prop SW funds be budgeted for repairs to the interior, exterior and courtyard, and for utilities upgrades for building 88 (SWC Art Gallery).

3.) Remodel and Upgrade the spaces inside building 88 (including the attached classrooms) for better preservation and showcasing of our Permanent Art Collection, the continued display of Culture on our campus, and for more Community engagement and outreach.

Read More About:

Save the SWC Art Gallery website

SWC Art Gallery’s early History

The SWC Governing Board Members making this decision