From The Collection: The Santa Paula Portrait Project

On view November 15, 2025, to March 8, 2026

Inspired by Iowa artist Rose Frantzen's acclaimed 2005 series Portrait of Maquoketa, two Santa Paula artists embarked on a similar creative journey in their own hometown, calling it The Santa Paula Portrait Project. Beginning in January 2011, photographer John Nichols and painter Gail Pidduck spent two years creating portraits of people from across the community. Together, they produced more than 60 works, which were first exhibited at the Santa Paula Art Museum in 2013. Since then, the show has traveled to venues both locally and nationally.

Like Frantzen, Nichols and Pidduck sought to democratize portraiture by featuring everyday citizens who might not otherwise commission a portrait. The project encouraged the artists to open their hearts to their neighbors, resulting in a body of work that celebrates both the ordinary and the extraordinary facets of small-town life.

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