At the California Surf Museum – Stars, Cars & Guitars
The exhibit is open!
We are excited to be part of “Stars, Cars & Guitars," a new exhibit at the California Surf Museum in San Diego, CA. According to the website:
This “blast from the past" exhibit demonstrates how, in less than a decade, from the years from 1958 to 1965, surfing related elements came to dominate popular culture forming a lasting effect on California, America and the world at large.
“It is amazing when you consider how quickly this subculture developed," notes Jim Kempton, Executive Director of the California Surf Museum in making the announcement. “In just a few short years an entirely new social structure was formed with its own vernacular, mode of dress, art, musical sound, modes of transportation, hair styles, and rituals all its own."
From iconic record albums, period surfboards, fashion artifacts, seminal photographic images and memorabilia, visitors will get a clearer sense of why this era is considered the “golden age" of surfing and the surfing lifestyle.
The exhibit was made possible, in part, with generous support from Pendleton Woolen Mills, Inc., a privately held, sixth-generation family-owned business whose signature wool shirts became a staple of 1960’s surfing style, and DSA Signage which provided the numerous light boxes seen in the exhibit.
Some background
We had a talk with the executive director of the museum, Jim Kempton, a former editor and publisher of Surfer magazine.
Q: Can you tell me about your museum?
A: The California Surf museum has been open in Oceanside for 37 years. We host from 25-30K unique visitors per annum. More than half of the visitors are from out of the Southern California region.
Q: What does this current exhibit cover?
A: “Cars, Stars and Guitars" covers the birth of the modern surf era that ran from 1958 through 1966. Essentially, it’s a look back at an era that defined what surfing is today: music, style, cars, you name it. Surfing was a subculture of the youth movement and California was its center. It captured the country’s imagination and opened up a whole new world of sun and fun.
Q: Tell me a little more about that.
A: 58 to 66 was a time that changed America a lot – a break from the WWII generation. Baby boomers hit the beaches. JFK was elected, and America was upbeat – a euphoric time, with a leisure culture emerging. Kids had time and money to go to the beach and surf. During this short period of time, The Ventures sold 20 million records and the Beach Boys were the biggest band in the world.
Q: And what changed?
A: The surf scene itself underwent a transformation in 1966. That was the year boards went shorter and hair went long. Surfing became more counterculture – and then came the Summer of Love. Everything changed at the point, so we timed the exhibit to end with the Summer of Love.
Q: It’s hard to believe it was such a short time.
A: It was a short run, but I liken this era of surfing to the Pony Express. That only lasted for three years, but it’s indelibly etched on our social memory. Same with the early surf era. Much of its language and style stayed with surfing through all the times that have followed, especially the camaraderie.
Q: How did you decide what to include?
A: It was a fun time, so we created a fun and focused retrospective remembering this as a joyful explosion of youth culture. It was an affluent, easy time, with seven years of prosperity. The standard of living was rising, and wonder drugs wiped out at least a dozen of the biggest killers in the world in less than a decade.
Q: How does Pendleton tie in, in your words?
A: Pendleton was the shirt of choice for all surfers – as ubiquitous as the white t-shirt with the pocket, the Levi’s, the blue Keds, the Woodys to drive. The Beach Boys (aka the Pendletones) are featured on a giant photo as you enter the museum in their blue plaid shirts. Original Surf Plaid Board shirts will be on docents. Pendleton shirts are still revered in the surf world.
Q: What are some other fun features of this exhibit (Pendleton and non)?
A: We’re using the visuals of the time – a unique graphics period that was post 50s atomic, pre-psychedelia – a specific graphics style unique to this era. You’ll know it when you see it.
We also have automobiles – America is a car culture, and surfing is a huge car culture. The vehicles that you will see in this are really fun, from hearses to woodies to customs, and don’t forget the 57 Chevys.
Music was a defining part of surf culture, so we have guitars. Stratocaster was the instrument of choice than (and still is now) – the company made huge breakthrough in technologies. There is a big focus on music in the exhibit, because it captures the sheer joy of the scene.
And of course, we cover the movies.
Thanks to Jim for taking the time to talk with us and for the fun photos. The exhibit sounds like a great time.
More information
Before they were the Beach Boys…
