Artful Showers
By Jim Christiansen
April showers us with several art events and calls to artists. Rain or Shine, the month opens on April 5 and 6, with the Stanislaus Artist Open Studio weekend. 47 Artists in 28 Venues from Turlock to Knights Ferry will open studios with art for show and sale. It’s an excellent opportunity to see how prolific many artists are. Paintings, ceramics, mosaics, sculpture, wood, metal, art jewelry, multi-media. Some studios will showcase more than one artist. It pays to review the map early and plan your route.
My studio citation is about the middle of the map book, and I will share my space with the photographs of Krystle Lisek on Olive Avenue in the Graceada Park Neighborhood. FREE Maps are available at The Queen Bean, Dragonfly Art for Life, Stanislaus Arts Council Gallery, Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock, and Knights Ferry Arts Studio and Gallery. An online map is available at the www.stanislausaos.com website. Please look for signs in your neighborhood to guide your way: All Ages event and hours 11 AM to 5 PM Saturday and Sunday. The Open Studio map includes artist contact information if you don’t get around to all 28 studio locations.
The Escalon Library hosts the Oak Valley Art Association exhibition on April 12th and 13th. This show is FREE to the public and features 12 award categories. It is open from Noon to 5 PM on Saturday and noon to 2 PM on Sunday, with an awards presentation and reception from 2 to 3 PM. The Library address is 1540 Second Street in Escalon, an easy drive off McHenry Avenue.
April 3rd is the posted end to the HeART with a Purpose fundraiser on display at Picasso’s Gourmet Deli and Art at Tenth and J Street. I attended the opening art and wine reception. The show benefited the American Heart Association. By the end of the evening, art by Brad Hawn, Jack Morris, Anne Whitman, and Jordi Camps Jr had sold stickers. I dropped off ten open studio maps to Picasso’s to see the art on display again.
Stanislaus Artist Collaborative Gallery (Stanislausarts.org) Emerging Artists show is displayed from April 2 to May 2 at 1315 J Street. The Stanislaus Arts Council has a Call to Artists for two shows. Fragments of the Mind; the healing power of Creativity in May, entry deadline April 12th, and California Flora and Fauna in June. An Arts Council newsletter mentioned that greater participation and fundraising are needed to keep the gallery open after June. The Second Annual Arts Council fundraiser, “Celebration of the Arts 2” is scheduled for June 14 at The Silos. For details, check the website for updates. Tickets start at $150
The Brick, down in Turlock, has a call for Artists for a show from May 1 to July 24th. Entries are due April 21. The third Thursday Art Walk is scheduled for April 17th. March expanded the participating artists and venues. Rhett Owings the featured Artist at the Kruse-Lucas Imports gallery on Tully Road across the street from MJC and The Silos. Drop in at the MJC Art Gallery on the East Campus. Check in with Bookish at Roseburg Square and see who the featured artist is.
