VENTURA, Calif. — Kevin Carman, a stone sculptor, says the place where he and other artists gather to chisel stone is comparable to famous places in Italy where the masters did their work.

“No city on the planet has a concentration… of stone sculptors… like Ventura does because of Art City,” Carman said. 

Art City, a mostly outdoor studio, where at least 15 stone carvers lease space to create their art, may close for good. The landlord has sold the one-acre lot, which may strand the resident artists who have nowhere to go to practice their livelihoods.