Anderson
Valley Art in Action
February 12, 2005
While a high number of outstanding artists have been drawn
to this region and chosen to make their homes in Anderson
Valley, art education for children and young people
here is suffering. Art classes at the elementary school
struggle for survival and art education at the middle and
high school are trimmed by an irregular and underfinanced
budget. Facilities and extra-curricular art activities
are sorely limited, despite the fact that numerous studies
have shown a direct correlation between art and music education
and the improvement of overall learning abilities in students
of all ages.
“Anderson
Valley Art in Action”, now a non-profit legally registered
as AVART, is a grass roots coalition of artists and art
supporters dedicated to bringing art into the lives of the
Valley youth through the schools and to providing scholarships
to higher education for graduating seniors from the AV High
School. Karen Altaras, a board member and passionate collector
of fine crafts, baskets and textiles notes, “When we
express ourselves through art, whatever the medium, we learn
about ourselves. Art stimulates the mind.”
Fund-raising
is a large part of AVART’s activities. In
the past seven years, the group has raised over $20,000
for scholarships and to help support on-going arts programming
at the AV Elementary School. AVART has also been involved
in other Valley events, such as ARTWALK, which brings a
great variety of innovative art expressions to the people
here every year. Board member Susan Gross, an
inspired illustrator, designer and teacher says, “I
am continually amazed by people whose life is their art,
by the way they’ve designed their life, and the unique
way they express themselves in everything they do.”
Other
current board members are: Paula Gray, Mendocino Community
College professor and artist, whose wry and amusing animal
portraits have won many of our hearts; Lauren Keating, whose
Café walls regularly display more local art than
any professional gallery; Heidi Knott, film director (co-director
of the anti-meth film “The End of Silence” and
“Sharing Secrets of Salsa”); and Helen Papke who
uses her creative “housewifey”sense to transform
cloth, knitting, hand embroidery as well as junk assemblages,
chair adornments and furniture upholstery into startling
works of art. Helen speaks for all, “We choose to live
in a creative community. AVART seeks to keep all lines
of creativity open to everyone who lives here.” Local
jewelry artist and educator Colleen Schenk has also recently
joined the board.
AVART’s
long range goal is to increase access to arts education
for all Anderson Valley residents. As its next short
term fund-raising event, AVART will host “Sweet Chairity”,
an auction of extraordinarily designed chairs by local artists
on Sunday, April 17, 2005, at Lauren’s Café
in Boonville. Chairs will be on display at Lauren’s
from the end of March. We invite the public to join
us in this community event, meet AVART supporters and beneficiaries,
and buy a lovely, funky or wickedly outrageous chair!.
.
