Inside the former Bank of America building on H Street in Crescent City resides an abundant collection of abstract mixed media paintings and sculptures by Ukrainian artist Val Polyanin. In 2022, the city became responsible for over 900 pieces of Polyanin’s art. Polyanin donated his collection to the city for safekeeping after rising rent costs forced him to abandon his roadside gallery alongside U.S. 101 south of town.
After debating whether or not to accept the donation, city councilors eventually agreed to allocate $10,000 out of their economic development fund toward obtaining his collection and curating the exhibit.
In May of 2023, the city held a grand opening for this exhibit, aptly named “Safekeeping,” for “First Friday”. These events, organized in conjunction with the Downtown Divas, are designed to draw traffic to local businesses in the downtown area and stimulate economic activity.
Redwood Voice Youth Media had initially been enlisted by the city to produce a short documentary film to be played on loop at this art exhibit. This video detailed Val Polyanin’s background, journey to America, and passion for artistic freedom.
The exhibit was only scheduled to last through the summer of 2023, as the former bank building in which it was being housed was going to be renovated and become the new City Hall. However, those construction plans have been delayed now for nearly a year and a half.
Last year, a committee of city staff, along with representatives from local businesses and nonprofit organizations, convened to brainstorm a shortlist of prospective contenders to help find a permanent home for this collection. The Kohler Foundation, Del Norte Association for Cultural Awareness (DNACA), and the Ink People Center for the Arts were name-dropped as potential collaborators.
Given Redwood Voice’s role in this art collection’s inception, our team has continued to remain curious about its future. We reached out to City Manager Eric Weir for an update, and learned that the search for a new home is still ongoing.
According to Weir, as of October 2024, there are no updates regarding the status of a new location for the exhibit.
“We are still looking for the permanent home, but for now they can still be displayed at the Bank of America building for the near future,” he said via text message.
Weir referred us to David Yeager, the Public Works Director for the City of Crescent City, who has been volunteering at the exhibit.
“The main thing, from a city standpoint, is to make sure that the public still has access to this,” Yeager told Redwood Voice during September’s First Friday gallery opening. “As a non-artsy person, I’ve fallen in love with the talent of Val Polyanin…and it’s just an amazing display.”
According to Yeager, locals and tourists alike have found a deep appreciation for Polyanin’s work throughout the openings.
“Not all art is for everybody…There are people that walk in and go ‘Why is the city doing this?’ or ‘What is this?’ or they’re scared”, said Yeager. “But for the people that take the time to look at it, it’s amazing. There are locals that come here repeatedly to see the variety of art.”
Despite the delays in finding the art a permanent home, the collection has proven to be an asset to the city’s tourism, according to Yeager.
“We need to remind ourselves we have this as an asset,” he said. “You can’t put a dollar value on this technically, but what this brings to the city is one more attraction. And so long-term, I think that’s the goal.”
Since the city already owns this building, there is no significant financial burden associated with keeping the exhibition open, according to Yeager.
“The city didn’t buy this building for this art; the city owns it. So the capital expense to keep this open is minimal. For those that are worried about the dollars and cents, it’s not really a big dollar item for us,” Yeager said.
“[The building] was the intention for city hall. The city has been blessed with grants we’re using on Front Street, Pebble Beach [Drive], the remodeling of the police department…In the meantime, we haven’t moved city hall, and therefore this building remains for this art exhibit. At some point that will change, so we still need to find a home for this. The final deadline for when this has to be moved is not known yet, but at some point this will have to be moved.”
Safekeeping will open for public viewing on Friday November 1st from 4 to 7:30 p.m. at the old Bank of America Building, 240 H Street in Crescent City. For more information about Val Polyanin’s art, visit https://vpart.org/. To stay updated on future First Friday viewings, visit the Crescent City CA – City Hall Facebook Page.
