The Secret Alameda
In 1991 Richard Whittaker and a small group of artists began publishing an art magazine, The Secret Alameda. The Spanish word "alameda" means "avenue, walkway" or "grove of trees." The title was thus meant to suggest a hidden place or pathway. The word "secret" was not chosen to suggest an esoteric meaning, but because the deeper spaces into which art and artmaking sometimes can lead us are by nature not available in the same way ordinary information is available; therefore such experience generally lies hidden in the course of ordinary living. We hoped to suggest that art and art making could be pathways to such deeper qualities of experience. From our own experiences and from the testimony of many artists, it is clear that such experiences can be restorative, enlivening and meaningful in a fundamental sense.
Because at that time, the magazine was being published in the Bay Area community of Alameda, the title of the magazine often led to some misunderstanding. Those hearing the title often expected to find information about undiscovered restaurants, off-beat vendors and other hidden local attractions. One subscriber, a doctor as I recall, was extremely indignant to discover that of the only two local establishments we ever covered- "Bob's Think Tank and Newsstand" and "Freddie's Do-nut Hell"-one of them was entirely fictional and the other, a popular corner newsstand and one of Alameda's most charming, if humble, local attractions, had been treated with more than the usual amount of imagination. The doctor demanded a refund; we obliged.
But after eight issues we were tired of dealing with this sort of thing and decided to find a new title. Unfortunately we selected Deus Ex Machina. One issue provided enough confusion and embarrassment to convince us to think again. This opened the door to works + conversations.
Below are links for some material from these earlier magazines. -RW
