Ilan

When spring open house season opened last weekend at Ilan-Lael Foundation headquarters in Santa Ysabel, it was with a renewed purpose.

The foundation created by James and Anne Hubbell in 1983, marks its 40th anniversary this year. Its focus these days is not only ensuring the long-term preservation of the Hubbells’ world-famous property, but also celebrating the work of James Hubbell — a sculptor, painter, mosaic artist and building designer whose work is so unique he's considered one of San Diego's living treasures.

Now in their mid-90s, the Hubbells live in a retirement community in Chula Vista. But the foundation carries on at the Santa Ysabel compound, with a newly opened Hubbell art gallery onsite, future Hubbell exhibitions in the works and several celebrations planned through 2024, according to Ilan-Lael Executive Director Marianne Gerdes.

"As we set our course for the next 40 years, we have James’ example to show us that it is possible to play the provocateur by creating and teaching using determination and generosity, joy and encouragement, poetry and pebbles," Gerdes said, in a statement. "As James has demonstrated for the last four decades, each of us has the power to be our own provocateur."

Since 1983, thousands of art and architecture enthusiasts from all over the world have arrived nearly every year for guided tours of the Hubbells’ fantastical 33-acre compound.

There's no place on Earth quite like Ilan-Lael, which in 2008 earned a San Diego County historic designation. Over the past 65 years, Hubbell designed all of the property's 12 nature-inspired buildings and filled them with his own mosaic floor and wall art, stained glass windows, hand-carved wood doors and swooping roofs.

His imaginatively shaped "habitable sculptures" have been likened to the mushroom-like Hobbit houses in Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" films and his organic expressionist design style has been compared to that of Modernist Spanish architect Antonio Gaudí. Gerdes describes Hubbell's design style as uniquely his own. She calls it "Hubbellesque."

In the early 1980s, the Hubbells wanted to expand their artistic community far beyond their mountain property in the interest of promoting peace and understanding between people of different backgrounds and nations. Together, with the help of attorney John Howard, they formed the Ilan-Lael Foundation. Ilan-Lael is a Hebrew phrase meaning "a tree that unites the physical and the spiritual."

The foundation's first efforts were cross-border arts events and education in San Diego and Tijuana. When the Cedar fire destroyed half of the buildings on the property in fall 2003, the Hubbells had no insurance to rebuild. So they placed the land in the trust of the foundation so they could accept tax-deductible donations to rebuild. The public response was generous.

The Hubbells, who celebrated their 65th anniversary on March 30 — moved to Santa Ysabel in 1958.

With the help of their four sons, they built the compound — which occupies about 10 acres of their property on Orchard Lane — one structure at a time as their needs and money allowed, using mostly natural materials. Over the years, they added a separate building for their sons, as well as multiple art studios, galleries, a chapel and sculpture garden. The most recent addition is the Ilan-Lael Foundation Center, where staff oversees arts education programs, nature retreats and other events.

Gerdes said the foundation has a full schedule of events planned this year, both on the mountain and elsewhere in the region. An exhibit of artwork from the Hubbell archives will be exhibited September through November at the Santa Ysabel Gallery. An Ilan-Lael 40th anniversary celebration is planned in late September. And a Pacific Rim Park Friendship Walk is planned at the Hubbell-designed park on Shelter Island in November.

Also, a new book about Ilan-Lael, featuring photos by John Durant and others, will be published later this year. And, as part of the World Design Capital celebration in San Diego and Tijuana in 2024, two exhibits of work by Hubbell will be featured at five San Diego City Library branches, Gerdes said.

1978 — James and Anne Hubbell began opening their home annually for tours.

1983 — The Hubbells form the Ilan-Lael Foundation. Its first effort, the magazine "Hidden Leaves," soon launched, attracting more than 6,000 members in just 3 years.

1987 — The First Unitarian Church in Hillcrest hosts (James) Hubbell's first volunteer art project, leading parishioners in a mosaic tiling workshop. It was the first of hundreds of community-based arts projects he would lead in the decades to come.

1989 — Hubbell and friend Milenko Matanovic create Ilan-Lael's first community design-build project with non-artists at Rancho La Puerta, Tecate, Mexico. It would become the model for the Pacific Rim Park project.

1990 — Hubbell recruited to design and build Jardin de los Ninos and Colegio La Esperanza, a kindergarten and elementary school for the arts in Tijuana.

1994 — The first of an eventual seven Pacific Rim Parks opens in Vladivostok, Russia. Designed to celebrate friendship and promote peace between San Diegans and Russians, it's a Hubbell-designed and volunteer-built public art installation built alongside the Pacific Ocean. Ilan-Lael's goal is to build Pacific Rim Parks in all 51 nations that touch the Pacific Ocean.

1995 — Hubbell and his son, architect Drew Hubbell, open their joint practice providing architecture and engineering services for building projects.

1998 — The second Pacific Rim Park opens at the north end of San Diego's Shelter Island. It was built by students from the U.S., Mexico, Russia and China.

2001 — Third Pacific Rim Park opens in Yantai, China. Future Pacific Rim Parks opened in Tijuana in 2004; the Philippines in 2008; South Korea in 2010;and Taiwan in 2013.

2003 — The devastating Cedar Fire destroyed four of the eight original structures at Ilan-Lael. The fire spurred the Hubbells to put their property under the ownership of Ilan-Lael, so the nonprofit could raise donations for rebuilding and also protect the property and Hubbell's legacy after they die.

2006 — The Hubbell property, now renamed Ilan-Lael, reopens with a new chapel and garden designed by Hubbell.

2008 — The County of San Diego designates the Ilan-Lael property as a historic site.

2013 — "Conversations on Beauty," a partnership with Mingei Museum, brought together San Diego's thought leaders in the arts, humanities and sciences.

2018 — The original Pacific Rim Park in Yantai, China, was dismantled in 2010 to make way for new deveopment. In 2018, the park was rebuilt in a new location. Hubbell, at age 88, made the trip to serve as artistic director on the project.

2019 — "Between Heaven and Earth," a film about Hubbell's life and career debuts.

2019 — The Ilan-Lael Center, a project conceived, designed, and built by Hubbell as a home for the Foundation on the Ilan-Lael property is completed.

2021 — James and Anne step down from the Ilan-Lael Foundation and hand over management of their home to the Ilan-Lael Foundation as they move to San Diego to live closer to family. Drew Hubbell assumes the presidency of Ilan-Lael's board of directors. Programming expands to include the "Healing the Healers" day retreat project.

2022 — Ilan-Lael and the nonprofit Watershed Explorers offer art and nature education to high school students.

2023 — A new James Hubbell art gallery offering artwork for sale opens at the Ilan-Lael Foundation property.

When: By reservation only. 90-minute guided tours at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on select Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays. Dates are: April 28, 29; May 1, 5, 6, 8, 19, 20, 22; June 2, 3, 5, 12, 16 and 17

Admission: $220 per car (two people). Additional passengers are $85 each. Limit 5 passengers per car.

Where: 930 Orchard Lane, Santa Ysabel

Phone: (760) 765-3427

Online: ilanlaelfoundation.org