"The Monday Club and the Women Who Built It"

A film by Robin Smith

Winner, Best Central Coast Documentary Short!

San Luis Obispo International Film Festival 2025

The story of the Monday Club is a testament to the resilient spirit of women in San Luis Obispo during a pivotal time in history. One hundred years ago, women were beginning to assert their rights and carve out spaces beyond traditional expectations. The establishment of The Monday Club is emblematic of that transformative era.

The Monday Club and the Women Who Built It is a film that travels back in time to discover how the club was formed - and a few surprises were revealed. The members of the Monday Club always thought that their organization was the first, but archived letters and newspaper accounts tell another story.

In 1915, Queenie Warden was the ambitious president of The Women’s Civic Club of San Luis Obispo. Her efforts rallied the women to build the Civic Auditorium, a two-story clubhouse that became a cultural hub in the county - home to concerts, motion pictures, and county fairs. Yet the formidable Queenie could not outrun the overwhelming challenges that led to the club’s dramatic collapse.

Rather than giving in to defeat, the women of San Luis Obispo regrouped under the leadership of Grace Barnberg. Her vision sparked a revival of the dream for women to organize. In 1924, they formed a new club that would endure for more than one hundred years, The Monday Club of San Luis Obispo.

In this backdrop of the women’s movement, Julia Morgan emerged as a pivotal figure. As California’s first licensed female architect, many of her buildings were designed specifically for the needs of women. The Monday Club building, a beautiful example of Morgan's vision and talent, stands as a structural embodiment of her commitment to women’s spaces. Its architectural design reflects a blend of functionality and intention, creating a warm and welcoming environment for meetings, advocacy, and the arts.

The Monday Club celebrates its rich history and the women who fought for the right to have a voice and the importance of women’s contributions to society.

This is the story of the Monday Club and the women who built it.

2024 Cambria Scarecrow Festival!

Something to Crow About

Every October, local artists stage hundreds of handmade scarecrows throughout Cambria, California. It takes about eight months for volunteers to present the Cambria Scarecrow Festival, which a recent USA Today readers poll named one of the top 10 US fall festivals for tourists to visit.

Robin Smith, a local filmmaker, followed the crow makers over the summer as they whipped Mod Podge, pool noodles, CelluClay, and card board into unique works of art.

"Art brings people together."

At the heart of the story are the community artists (many who don't even know they are artists) who meet every day, collaborating on their creations, at a converted storage unit called Dr. Crow. Follow the crow makers as they overcome challenges and find innovative ways to present the Cambria Scarecrow Festival.

"Having a lean footprint enabled me to become a part of the studio environment and the artists got to a point where they didn't take much notice of me. I think that's one of the strengths of the story.

I captured the work of the crow makers for many months. I was genuinely surprised to experience their joy at creating and collaborating with each other. "Art brings people together."

Something to Crow About premiered at the Cambria Film festival in February 2023 to a packed house! And it screened at the San Luis Obispo Film Festival in 2023.