History of Studios on the Park
The Torpedo Factory as seen from Potomac River waterfront
Children explore the Torpedo Factory on a school tour
The Torpedo Factory receives more than 500,000 visitors per year
Studios on the Park is the dream of Anne Laddon, a professional artist and 25 year resident of Paso Robles. As a young graphic designer living just outside of Washington, DC, she was given an opportunity that would change her life forever. Led by visionary Marian Van Landingham, she and other founding artists joined together to renovate an abandoned torpedo factory into working studio spaces for artists and in 1974, the Torpedo Factory Art Center opened to the public. Anne soon began printmaking and held a studio/gallery at the Torpedo Factory for ten years. Nurtured by the artists surrounding her and the public audience, she created hundreds of limited edition silkscreen prints, posters, and greeting cards. Her works featured bright color, bold design, and, occasionally, “pop” subjects such as cameras and typewriters. Today, over thirty years later, the Torpedo Factory Art Center is home to over 160 professional artists who work, exhibit, and sell their art.
Anne never forgot her experience at the Torpedo Factory and its profound impact on her development as an artist. Indeed, her passion for sharing the creative process with others and strong belief that “anyone can be an artist,” which resulted from her time at the Torpedo Factory, are what motivated her to pursue the Studios on the Park project.
Paso Robles and the entire San Luis Obispo County community are home to incredibly talented artists that have long lacked venues to show and sell, forcing them to send their artwork out of the area. But this reality has not only been a hardship for local artist, but also has left the community with limited exposure to the visual arts. One afternoon, in the early summer of 2007, Anne saw the answer to both of these needs in 1130 Pine Street. After many conversations with the owner, Steve Encell, she leased the building and Studios on the Park was born. Anne then gathered some close friends and advisors to form the founding Board of Directors, and together they rolled up their sleeves and got to work.
With her boundless energy, Anne and her team worked doggedly to create an organization that would not only be home to the visual arts in the North County but that would provide one of the few open studio environments in the country and be the premier organization of its kind in California.
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