Art View
By Jim Christiansen
May Day! May Day! With all the Art Events converging on April, got a May Day message for Chris Murphy I’d gone past deadline. Holdovers still going on include the Central Valley Artist Showcase at both Mistlin Gallery and Carnegie Arts Center into the first week of June. Stanislaus Artist Open Studio completed this weekend, purchase awards drawing will take place once all raffle slips collected and distributed to winners in order drawn by first week in May. Attendance steady but impeded by the many events that went on this weekend. For those of you who say nothing goes on in our area, try and schedule an event without a pleasant, busy conflict on nearly every date on the calendar. One I forgot was the Art Show in Escalon on Open Studio, and Peddlers Fair in Knights Ferry. Check the Facebook pages for Artists of Modesto, Modesto Artist Salon, and Stanislaus Artist Open Studio and of course ModestoView for updates our calendar might have missed at deadline. If you have an Art event, don’t delay in sending it in to our calendar at events@modestoview.com<mailto:events@modestoview.com> Check in with The Shire for their art events on Facebook.
Fans of Art Walk included a Girl Scout troop that found me over at the Doubletree Hotel and from their passports for Third Thursday, nearly completed all the venues. Good to see Art Walk popular with new patrons of all sorts, but changes in the works to improve upon the event and other visual art presence in our community. We think this will expand the opportunities for artists to display, wider range of associated activities and more visible on the streets. Downtown has a couple related but separate Public Art Improvements in progress this month. Intersection of Art will be unveiled at Gallo Center May 12, with live music, vendors, presented by Leadership Modesto. The crosswalks will have a whole new look. Downtown Partnership has a call for Artists due May 15th, for designs to apply mural décor to five downtown utility boxes. If you don’t know what that is, check out Jordi Camps design across the street from Picasso’s at Tenth and J Street. We hope more boxes around Modesto will get the same treatment.
Another call for Artists for the Relax on the Range Art/Concert series. First one is May 7 and in need of artists for the Art Tent. Contact jillferris@fmconcerts.com<mailto:jillferris@fmconcerts.com> for information. I have vendor forms for the Memorial Day Weekend “Pick and Gather” festival in Livingston at Riverdance Farms, with an expanded schedule. To volunteer, be a vendor, artist, music schedule, contact me at mercenary_graphics@yahoo.com<mailto:mercenary_graphics@yahoo.com> forms and info at www.riverdancefarms.com
Other notes. Printmaking show at Merced Cultural Center opens May 15. Nasco is moving, but the good news will add a small retail space at warehouse new location. Come out to Art Walk, check your map at www.ModestoArtWalk.com
Thanks to those artists and attendees who turned out for Stanislaus Artist Open Studio. Buy Art from Local Artists. Open Studio maps have artist contact information if you couldn’t make this year’s event. Tamara Keiper and I, and other Stanislaus Artists are on display at the Lodi Art Center Spring Show May 5 to 20.
