The right half of the "Of This Earth" mural by Eloy Torrez and students from Valley Oaks Charter School depicts Bonnie Owens, Dolores Huerta, a farmworker and Bob Manning. Photo by Jennifer Baldwin

By Jill Egland, Director of Special Projects, Arts Council of Kern

A very special public celebration is taking place Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Kern County Museum: Jeff Nickell, is assuming the role of Museum Director, and he’s helping unveil a new piece of public art as one of his first official acts.

Jeff Nickell is now the Director of the Kern County Museum. He's standing on the porch of the newly renovated Lopez House. Photo by Jennifer Baldwin

You don’t have to know Jeff for very long before his love of history surfaces. Just get him talking about the Bakersfield Sound. Or take a walk with him through the museum’s transportation exhibit, or the new/old neon sign pavilion. In fact, it’s safe to say that Jeff Nickell is passionate about history, about this piece of the valley, and about community building. This is a necessary combination of qualities for someone taking the helm of an institution like the Kern County Museum, where he has worked for 14 years as educational services coordinator, curator, assistant director and now, as of Sept. 1, director.

Founded in 1941, the Kern County Museum is one of only 748 museums in the country that have managed to get accredited by the American Association of Museums. It also serves as an education center for Kern County Superintendent of Schools, maintains a unique collaboration with Valley Oaks Charter School (VOCS) — conveniently located next door. The school is designed for home-schooled students and delivers an increasingly diverse palette of educational opportunities for students.

It was the museum’s collaboration with Valley Oaks that drew the attention of the Arts Council of Kern two years ago when it was preparing to apply for an arts education grant from the California Arts Council. The grant made it possible to bring a teaching artist to two selected campuses. Eloy Torrez, a famous muralist based out of Los Angeles, was asked to take on the job of both working with art students and teachers, as well as mentoring Kern County-based muralist, Sebastian Muralles, in his large-scale mural-making techniques.

In addition to working with Valley Oaks, Eloy and Sebastian also conducted a project with the Kern High School District’s Adult Based Life Experience (ABLE) program. The ABLE mural needs more funding to be completed. Its home will ultimately be the north-facing side of the Haberfelde—the upper part that looks out over Chester Ave.

But the Valley Oaks mural is done and truly magnificent: an 8-foot by 36-foot landscape, sepia-toned, with portraits of people whose contributions were influenced by their ties to this valley. The mural is entitled “Of This Earth” and includes portraits such as Bonnie Owens, Earl Warren, Dolores Huerta, and J.J. Lopez. It also includes depictions of the county’s history of oil production, agriculture and the Bakersfield Sound.

The public celebration is from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1 at the Kern County Museum, 3801 Chester Ave. Admission is $25 and proceeds will be split between the museum and the Arts Council of Kern’s Arts in Education fund. The Arts Council will be using its portion of the funds for the ABLE mural.

Guests will be treated to The Brothers Barton playing some very hip “newgrass,” catering by TL Maxwell’s, and wine. They’ll also have a chance to meet the artists — Eloy, Sebastian, and the young artists from Valley Oaks who participated in this project – as well as congratulate Jeff Nickell on his new role as museum director and share ideas for the museum’s future.

For more information, call the Arts Council of Kern at 324-9000 or visit www.kernarts.org. Contact the Kern County Museum at 852-5000 or www.kcmuseum.org.

The new "Of This Earth" mural by Eloy Torrez and students from the Valley Oaks Charter School hangs on the wall of a classroom at the Kern County Museum, and can be seen from Chester Avenue. Photo by Jennifer Baldwin