Special Jo Mora Gathering to be Held on Saturday and Sunday, October 5 and 6, 2024

For Immediate Release

Publicity Contact: Wendy Brickman

Special Jo Mora Gathering to be Held on Saturday and Sunday, October 5and 6, 2024

September 2024. Monterey, CA. Don’t miss the outstanding Jo Mora Gathering on Saturday and Sunday, October 5^th and 6^th, 2024, at Monterey History and Art’s Stanton Center at 5 Custom House Plaza in Downtown Monterey and other nearby locations. Jo Mora (1876-1947), was a respected and popular Monterey Peninsula artist, celebrated for his detailed Cartes, sculptures, books spanning both children's and adult genres, and more. The Jo Mora Gathering offers a comprehensive exploration of Mora’s extensive and diverse portfolio. Enthusiasts and newcomers alike can look forward to an engaging and informative weekend celebrating this remarkable artist.

At a Glance:

Jo Mora Gathering Event Schedule:

SATURDAY OCTOBER 5:

Symposium at Stanton Center Theater, 9:00 am to 3:30 pm.

Presenters will include Peter Hiller (Six Jo Mora Sculpting Stories), Scott Gale (Curating the Jo Mora: Cartographer exhibit), Neal Hotelling (Jo Mora & Sam Morse, A Symbiotic Relationship), Joss Grandeau (The World of Jo Mora in Books), Terry Trotter (1936 Fable Mural: Celebration of Pan & The Compass Rose), Mark McDonald (The Story of Mora’s Carmel Woods Serra Art Installation), Melody Burgess and Susan DeLay (Digitizing the Jo Mora Collection), and Bill McQuerry (A Friendship and a Saddle), and Griff Durham (Jo Mora and the Visalia Stock Saddle Company) plus some surprises!

Lunch – on your own.

Reception for Jo Mora: Cartographer exhibit at Stanton Center, 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm.

After a few words about the exhibit, attendees may enjoy the exhibit, chat with presenters, and view a few items from the archive that are not part of the exhibit, but will be brought out for the reception only, including a surprise. Wine and cheese will be served.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 6:

Jo Mora Room at Casa Serrano, 412 Pacific Street, Monterey, CA 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Enjoy Jo Mora items on display in the Jo Mora Room at Casa Serrano. A brief presentation will be given periodically in the Sala Grande on the origins of the Mora collection at Serrano.

Attendees may chat with any Symposium speakers that are present.

Terry Trotter Walkabout: Trotter Gallery/Museum, 301 Forest Avenue, Pacific Grove, CA, 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm.

Terry will provide one of his famous walkabouts, in which he will discuss selected Mora items in the Trotter’s vast collection.

This event will occur in two groups due to space constraints. Group A will start at 2:30 pm and Group B will start at 3:30 pm.

Tickets:

Tickets are $80 per person for the entire weekend set of events.

Tickets are $60 per person for Monterey History and Art Association (MHAA) members.

MHAA membership is $50 per year. Non-members might want to join to realize an immediate $20 savings on The Gathering.

Ticket sales will be ONLINE ONLY at https://montereyhistory.org/event/jo-mora-gathering-symposium/

About The Weekend

Jo Mora biographer Peter Hiller notes that The Jo Mora Gathering is a first time event for a thoughtfully selected group of presenters to share their knowledge and love of Mora's life and creativity with a wider audience. "I am thrilled that this multifaceted weekend has come together for the listening and viewing pleasure of the attending audience. The variety of individual voices will mirror Jo Mora's numerous artistic abilities. The list of Jo Mora Gathering presenters ranges from passionate experts to those currently involved with carrying on Jo Mora's remarkable legacy."

About Jo Mora

Joseph Jacinto Mora was born in Uruguay on October 22, 1876, to an artistic family. His father, Domingo, was a sculptor, his brother Luis, a classical painter. His family moved to the United States when Mora as a child, and took up residence in the Boston area, where he attended art school.

He began working as an illustrator and cartoonist in 1897 with the Boston Herald on “general assignments and sporting pictures.” Over the next few years, he created comic strips for the Boston Herald, and covered the Boston area creating illustrations for news stories. In 1903, he traveled the Western United States including the California Mission Trail, and then lived among the Hopi and Navajo Native American tribes for several years.

In 1907, he married and moved to Mountain View, California, where he lived, started a family and worked before moving to the Carmel area for the rest of his adult life, where he continued to create art in a variety of media. In the San Francisco Bay area, he created decorative elements for many prominent buildings in the city which remain today. Mora's work in public places also includes murals in Pacific Grove, sculptures in San Rafael and Golden Gate Park and other building elements in Salinas, King City and Los Angeles and many others.

Jo Mora: Cartographer Exhibit:

The exhibit, “Jo Mora: Cartographer,” is the largest collection of Jo Mora’s Cartes ever displayed. Twenty-two cartes created by beloved artist Joseph Jacinto Mora (1876-1947) are now on display, including Mora’s “Seventeen Mile” carte, which has recently been re-dated to 1935. This exhibit was curated by MHAA Board Member, Scott Gale, in association with Jo Mora consultant Peter Hiller and historian Neil Hoteling.

For children, a Scavenger Hunt sheet can be obtained at the Stanton Center reception desk. The Scavenger Hunt prompts children to find mermaids, a giant pumpkin and other fun images in the cartes. Children who compete in the Scavenger Hunt will receive a prize.

About the Monterey History and Art Association

The Monterey History and Art Association is dedicated to sharing the histories and the diverse legacies of people, stories, and places that continue to shape Monterey. From its founding in 1931, the Monterey History and Art Association’s primary mission has been to help preserve the irreplaceable reminders of Monterey’s colorful heritage. Over the past seven decades, the Association has worked closely with the City of Monterey, the California Department of Parks and Recreation, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and other agencies. As a result, more old adobes have been preserved and restored in Monterey than anywhere else in California.

The Association instituted Monterey’s historic landmark program and created the Path of History which guides visitors to historic sites in old Monterey. It possesses extensive collections of furnishings, paintings, photographs, costumes, books, manuscripts, and other artifacts.

The Stanton Center is located at 5 Custom House Plaza adjacent to Old Fisherman’s Wharf. There is pay parking available adjacent to The Stanton Center in the Waterfront Parking Lot. Museum hours are currently Wednesday – Monday from Noon to 4:00 pm. Admission is $10 for adults. It is free for youth under 18 with a paid adult admission. It is $8 for seniors/military. Admission is free for Monterey History and Art Association members.

The Monterey History and Art Association hosts the largest collection of Mora’s artwork available for public viewing. Home to several exhibitions of Jo Mora’s artwork, the Monterey History and Art Association had a deep relationship with the Mora family and acquired an impressive representation of his paintings, drawings, cartes, prints, and bronze sculptures that remain at the Stanton Center and the Monterey History and Art Association’s Casa Serrano on Pacific Street, where it continues to be available for viewing by the public on a rotating basis.

Authorized reprints of a number of Jo Mora’s cartes and other works are available in the store on site at the Stanton Center and also on www.jomoracollection.org.

For more information and to become a member of the Monterey History and Art Association, go to www.montereyhistory.org or call (831) 372-2608.