Grossmont College Art Students Leave Their Mark on County Fair

If you take an art class at Grossmont College, don’t expect this to be in the syllabus. For the past six years, the art department’s Al Ventura has taken students to the San Diego County Fair to paint a mural of its current logo theme on the wall outside the Student Showcase.

“I usually ask, ‘Who wants to volunteer?’ because it’s something that you’ve got to want to do,” said Ventura of his ever-changing group of helpers. “It’s all about exposure, and the more exposure you get, the more confident you are in yourself.”

Turns out not getting a grade or any other compensation was the least of his students’ worries. Instead, it was the fear of accidentally smudging the artwork or causing the paint to drip―both of which were remedied by a lesson in using thicker paint and the assurance that mistakes can always be fixed.

This year’s theme was hotrods and racecars, and Ventura was assisted by Hilary Stone, Adam Maruhn and Nicholaus Clawson for the eight days it took to complete. But he still remembers the year it was Dr. Seuss like it was yesterday. He painted the Cat in the Hat and some other unruly characters.

“That was my favorite because everyone can relate to Dr. Seuss,” he said. “Parents would read it to their kids and enjoy it; it brought back a lot of fun memories as a child. Everyone that came by would comment on it.”