Please join us on Saturday, October 12th during the annual @culvercityartsdistrict art walk for an event with Michael Murphy & Jens Lucking for Santa Monica Pleasure Pier: A Look Back to 1917 from Today. “Santa Monica Pleasure Pier: A Look Back to 1917 from Today” is a side-by-side comparison that juxtaposes the past and present in ways that puts today’s landscape in the greater historical play. Scores of vintage images appearing in a 1917 ‘Prospectus Book’ - created by its then owner, Mr. Looff (who built the first carousel) hoping to sell shares in his Santa Monica “Pleasure Pier" - now archived in the Stephen Raul Anaya Collection present a rare and mostly unseen look at the attraction and its surroundings. No detail goes unturned for this historical treasure trove which is clearly a labor of love. It is with great pleasure that we share and celebrate this book with you as this 1917 collection of images serves as a reminder of our own continuity, specifically as it relates to time and place, in the case one of most popular and traveled destinations on the West Coast.

Author Michael Murphy is a former agency Senior Art Director gone independent design professional. He has had the privilege to design a traveling exhibition called "Vedem Underground" that the Smithsonian Institution hailed as one of the ten “Don’t Miss…” new exhibits. Last year in collaboration with his photographic partner Jens Lucking, he created a book and exhibition about Santa Monica in 1902. He is currently focusing his efforts launching LookBackArt.com.

Ever since his uncle presented him with a $5.00 camera on his tenth birthday, Jens Lucking has not left the house without a camera, and has turned his passion into his profession. His award-winning photographs have been featured in worldwide publications and exhibited in galleries and museums in Europe and North America. Most recently, Jens was recognized at the International Photography Awards at Carnegie Hall for his contribution to “Santa Monica Pleasure Pier: A Look Back to 1917 from Today."

If you cannot attend but would like to purchase a signed copy, place your order here, or call us at 310-458 1499.