A pick for January ArtHop: Bulldog fan Joseph G. Garcia at Downtown Artist Gallery
By Donald Munro
I have to admit: My ArtHop pick for January has personal connections to me in two important ways. Joseph G. Garcia was an artist working at the Fresno State Collegian in the mid-1950s. (I am now The Collegian’s faculty adviser.) And while he was on staff, he and his fellow rascally students published a parody newspaper called The Fresno Flea. This was an obvious parody homage to The Fresno Bee, where I worked for more than a quarter of a century.
Do you see why I’m intrigued?
Garcia, who turns 95 next month, will have works on display on Thursday, Jan. 8, as part of ArtHop, the monthly open house of galleries and studios in the downtown and Tower District neighborhoods. He’ll be featured at the Downtown Artist Gallery (701 L St.) with a reception 5-8 p.m. There will also be a special reception xx xx Jan. 10 at the same location.
Garcia is a prominent commercial artist who designed logos for such local businesses as Johnny Quik Food Stores and Mi Rancho Tortillas. He’s also a sculptor, painter, writer and Fresno State supporter. (He designed the Athletic Department’s logo and the 10-foot tall, 4,200-pound bronze Bulldog in the Shehadey Lobby in the southeast corner of the Save Mart Center,)
In 2024, Fresno State’s Benjamin Kirk wrote a story for Fresno State News about Garcia. (See photo above.) He writes:
As a small group of Garcia’s friends and family members arrived, they intermingled with university representatives. They spoke of Garcia’s many accomplishments as an artist, journalist and Fresno State alumnus, albeit one who put his own degree on hold for his country and his family. It didn’t take long for Garcia and others to notice the small bronze Bulldog sculpture on the bookshelf and start gathering to take photos with it.
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Joe Garcia Jr., the artist’s son, tells me that the ArtHop exhibition is a testament to his father’s wide-ranging interests. “He’s had all these drawings, sculptures, books, and paintings in his home office forever, so it will be fun to see them at the Gallery this week,” he says.
His latest book is titled “Fresno Flea,” an account of his days at The Collegian. I can’t wait to read it!
