I am grateful to be at Dorland, and anyone who visits this site needs to appreciate my patrons. In the 1930's, the property called Dorland Mountain Arts Colony was homesteaded by Ellen and Robert Dorland. Ellen Babcock Dorland was a world famous concert pianist in the early part of the 20th century and a gifted music teacher. She dreamed of founding an artists colony like those she had attended on the East Coast. Her friend Barbara Horton, a dedicatd environmentalist, shared her dream and was instrumental in founding the colony, through cultivating patrons and fund raising. What beagan as a private retreat evolved into the only residential artists colony in Southern California. It is an internationally recognized haven for artists, writers and composers.
Curtis Horton, President of the Board of Directors presided over the event staged the day after my arrival. His mother was the cohert of Ellen Dorland, in obtaining funds and patronage to put the dream into a concrete reality. Curtis is an environmental law attorney, and a violinst in the Pasadena orchestra. He has a fond memory of his mother's interest in the arts, and wants to see Dorland recover its legacy, rise out of the ashes.
Between 1974 and 1988, Dorland was under the stewardship of The Nature Conservancy, an international land preservation group, which wanted to protect Dorland's unique plants and wildlife. It is also recognized as an Indian burial ground, considered sacred by local tribes. In July 1988, the Nature Conservancy deeded the property back to the Colony's board of directions with the restirciton that the land be protected from development in perpetuity.
In May 2004, a wildfire swept through Dorland, destroying ten buildings. Fortunately the colony had evacuated. Not long after the Board convened and unanimously voted to rebuild. With only small donations, it now has two Katrina(from the hurricane disaster) cottages for resident artists.
Curtis Horton, President of the Board of Directors presided over the event staged the day after my arrival. His mother was the cohert of Ellen Dorland, in obtaining funds and patronage to put the dream into a concrete reality. Curtis is an environmental law attorney, and a violinst in the Pasadena orchestra. He has a fond memory of his mother's interest in the arts, and wants to see Dorland recover its legacy, rise out of the ashes.
Between 1974 and 1988, Dorland was under the stewardship of The Nature Conservancy, an international land preservation group, which wanted to protect Dorland's unique plants and wildlife. It is also recognized as an Indian burial ground, considered sacred by local tribes. In July 1988, the Nature Conservancy deeded the property back to the Colony's board of directions with the restirciton that the land be protected from development in perpetuity.
In May 2004, a wildfire swept through Dorland, destroying ten buildings. Fortunately the colony had evacuated. Not long after the Board convened and unanimously voted to rebuild. With only small donations, it now has two Katrina(from the hurricane disaster) cottages for resident artists.
No comments:
Post a Comment