As announced earlier this month, the Surfing Heritage Foundation is rebranding itself to become the Surfing Heritage & Culture Center, or SH&CC. We caught up with Executive Director Bolton Colburn to discuss this exciting transition.
Why the name change now?
The board wanted to create an umbrella that’s more reflective of the organization’s aspirations and will help us engage a broader audience.
It’s the perfect opportunity to redefine the way the public sees us. SH&CC makes it clear that we are a public institution with a great collection related to surfing but we are also a serious museum. Our mission is preserving, presenting and promoting surfing’s heritage for the appreciation and education of current and future generations.
What will be changing at SH&CC in the coming months?
In addition to our extensive permanent collection, we’ve added a dedicated rotating exhibition space.
The current exhibition, The Surf Riders of Hawaii at SHF, features the earliest known photographic book on surfing, by A.R. Gurrey, Jr. The book was originally published sometime between 1910-1914. The exhibition includes Gurrey’s personal edition of the book, on loan from the Gurrey family, along with photo reproductions and historical materials. The exhibition runs Monday-Saturday from March 2- May 4, 2013.
Future exhibitions include:
- The California Gold Portfolio, May 18 – June 16, 2013
- Fifty Years of Graphic Design: John Van Hamersveld, June 22 – August 4 (working dates)
- 50th Anniversary of the Endless Summer, May – July, 2014
Our email newsletters list upcoming exhibitions. Go to our website to sign up.
Over the remainder of 2013, we will gradually incorporate the new name and logo in our signage and marketing materials, as well as develop our new website. We believe this is the start of a great new chapter for our organization.
Please tell us about your upcoming auction.
This is the first time we have run The Surfing Heritage Vintage Surf Auction, and we’re excited about the amazing items that are coming in. Some of the auction items are already on view online.
We’ll be auctioning off historically important surfboards from the 1970s and 80s, as well as surf memorabilia and, for the first time, more than 60 works of art.
The auction will be held Saturday, May 11th at the Orange County Fairgrounds and is open to the public. We have created a dedicated auction website with more information.
Bidding packages and registration for the auction are available now. You can also visit us on facebook.
