The Beginning. In 2008, Jesse La Tour and his roommate Anthony Bach noticed a FOR RENT sign hanging in the window of the commercial space below their downtown Fullerton apartment. They talked about the possibility of renting it out and creating an art co-opt—a jointly owned, and democratically-controlled enterprise. They brought the idea to a few of their creative colleagues, decided to move forward, and formed the art cooperative, realizing it was what Fullerton needed. “Downtown Fullerton used to have a lot of galleries back in the 70s and 80s, but they all closed down because it's really hard to keep an art gallery going,” Jesse explains. “We thought, ‘let's do this.’  We might not make any money, but we want to see good art in this town.” In less than a month, Jesse and Anthony, along with four of their friends, founded the Hibbleton Gallery—a name borrowed from Anthony’s bike club.

The Mission. In many traditional highbrow galleries, the art displayed is that of seasoned or commercially successful artists. By contrast, Hibbleton is primarily interested in displaying art that is innovative, often featuring the talent of young emerging visionaries from Orange County and beyond. “Hibbleton is a local gallery that shows new artists' work,” Jesse describes. “ It encourages people who might not pursue artistic endeavors to make new art, and it encourages people to think, ‘hey, maybe I can be an artist.’ I love the idea of creating a renaissance of art right here in our neighborhood.”

Hibbleton’s mission statement speaks volumes about what makes the gallery unique: Hibbleton is a gallery focusing on works from the latest underground artists. Hibbleton is dedicated to art that provokes thought and initiates discourse, whether it is considered subculture, pop surrealist, outsider, graffiti, lowbrow, or street.

Becoming Part of the Community. After two years, Hibbleton Gallery has become an integral part of the Fullerton art community.  Liberty Board Shop, a local skate shop, helped sponsor January’s “Art Party #2,” lending two of their own sponsored skaters, Mike Myers and Scott Lee, as featured artists. Starting this month, Hibbleton will take part in the first ever Downtown Fullerton Art Walk, which will take place the first Friday of every month. Last spring, Hibbleton also became active in the print side of the art world by starting an independent journal called Hibbleton Independent.

In addition to traditional gallery exhibitions, Hibbleton also hosts poetry reading nights called “Live @ 112” on a monthly basis with the help of fellow Cal State Fullerton alumni Marcus Omari.  The night also features an open mic segment for music talent. Last spring, they hosted a series of movie nights in the gallery to further connect with the community.

Another thread of the Fullerton community woven into the fabric of Hibbleton is a selection of books from the independent publication Write Bloody, which is available for purchase at Hibbleton. This proves to be a perfect method of combining Jesse and his co-founders’ passion for literature and art; guests might be drawn to the gallery by the art exhibitions, but are also able to browse and purchase literature before they leave.

The Highlights. In its short lifespan, Hibbleton has garnered much attention. It was awarded Best Art Gallery in Orange County by OC Weekly in 2009, and has hosted several musician-artists; Richard Swift, Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo, Syd Butler of Les Savy Fav, Matt Maust of the Cold War Kids, and Nate Warkentin and David Quon of Long Beach's We Barbarians have all displayed work at Hibbleton within the past two years.

The Future. Unlike many single owner-operated galleries, Hibbleton is a collective of people seeking to promote creative expression. With the common goal of embracing local artists and providing a place for artists and art-lovers alike to come together, share their vision, and be inspired, Hibbleton Gallery has filled an essential role in the art community of Orange County.