Corner Gallery Ukiah, a cooperative gallery – see more at our website, cornergalleryukiah.com
Corner Gallery front window guest artists November ‘23
By Laura Fogg

The oldest art organization in Mendocino County will grace the front windows of the Corner Gallery for the month of November. The Mendocino County Art Association has been in existence for 69 years and boasts 107 members. Artists of all media, skill levels and interests are welcome to join the group for inspiration, support and camaraderie. Many display their work frequently at the Corner Gallery and other prominent venues across Northern California, and others are taking the leap into the world of professional artistry for the first time. Whatever their level of experience, all are putting their best foot forward to display their wealth of skills during this annual fall event.

Artists featured in the show will be Svetlana Artemoff, Wanda Bennett, Deborah Briggs, Dora Briley, Sage Buckley-Lim, Jeanette Carson, Karen Falconer-Wimer, Sarah Falk, Katie Gibbs, Gina Greco, Gwen Hardage Vergeer, Lori Holaday, Laurie Howard, Katie Kight, Cat Lair, Cindy Lindgren, Kathleen Miller Thomas, Mary Monroe, Polly Palecek, Bev Rae, Elaine Richard, Alexis Spakoski, Kerry Sullivan, Susan Sweet, Susan Walker, Barbara Ware, and Lynn Williams.

Media represented will be watercolor, oil, acrylic, mosaics, colored pencil, pastels… and undoubtedly a lot of other things. The fun thing about a member show is that it has no theme and isn’t juried… artists select what they like best from their year’s worth of creating, even if it’s an experiment in an unfamiliar medium that surprised them with its success. The joy is seeing all the eclectic work together, bursting with color, energy and individuality.

Art Center Ukiah “Harvest” show for November 2023
By Laura Fogg

November is a traditional month for gathering. As the days get shorter and colder, people traditionally surround themselves with items that bring them comfort. Art Center Ukiah is encouraging local artists to consider all aspects of the harvest season as they ponder a list of questions. How do you prepare yourself for the coming winter? What are your Autumn celebrations and festivities? Do you focus of food, crafts, family celebrations or other things? What keeps you connected with the people, places and traditions that you love?

Corine Pearce (Little River Band of Pomo Indians, Redwood Valley), the show’s organizer, is especially focused on the aspect of community. “I want to celebrate the richness and bounty that Autumn means to our entire community,” Corine says. Along those lines she is weaving new baskets baskets for the show, many of which will contain acorns. “Right now my whole life is about acorns,” she laughs. “There are so many dropping from the trees this year, and it’s all I can do to keep from slamming on the brakes every time I drive by another tree that has dropped thousands of them on the road.”

Acorns are also on the mind of Melody Williams (Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo). She created an art quilt which features dozens of them. She explains, “It started out as a challenge quilt from a guild I belong to… to do one or two things with a specific quilt block. It looked like a basket design to me, so I wanted to feature it as the main design element instead of putting it in the background. I filled the quilted basket with acorns and created special features… the acorn caps are made out of miniature basket designs printed on fabric… to make the whole piece more Native.”

Melody explains more about the importance of acorns in her culture. “Acorns are really important to us,” she says. “I love acorn mush, even though it’s an acquired taste. I especially wanted to honor that on the quilt. We have harvested acorns and other wild foods from the beginning, because that cultural knowledge was passed down to us. It’s something we do together… we have always been hunters and gatherers. We gather our food as opposed to growing it, but we still have to work together to look for what we need and want. It’s our way of life. When it’s bountiful we celebrate.”

A large torch-cut steel oak tree made by Katie Gibbs will fit right in with the acorn theme. And the rest is unknown… the surprise will be seeing how other community members respond to this call with representations of their own favorite harvest activities and traditions. 

Mendocino County Arts Association Wall

Jan Bylund

One of longest, most loved and continually active members of MCAA, she continues to create beautiful landscapes even into her 90’s.

Valerie Peters
“I have always admired the pastels of artists such as Degas and Odilon Redon and have used pastels to produce drawings, but lately I have been trying to use them to create “paintings”. I am most attracted to images with a certain amount of drama. I look for images that evoke an emotional reaction in me that I can try to express.”

Young artists from the Arbor program

The Arbor show on Young Artist Wall Nov/Dec 2023
By Laura Fogg

“We want to start conversations,” says DFC Coordinator Vanessa Curl from the Arbor program at Redwood Community Services, Inc. To that end, she has initiated a youth art exhibition on substance use prevention and healthy lifestyles, which will be presented on the Corner Gallery’s Young Artist Wall for the months of November and December.

Vanessa elaborates, “The theme is the participants’ relationship with substance use and wellness… and additional societal issues that occur due to all of that. Young people interact with the world in much different ways than adults do, and we wanted to explore how they see these important issues and how they feel about them. We want to encourage a positive and healthy lifestyle and promote a sense of ownership and active participation in our community.”

Vanessa believes that this project can inspire not only conversations, but positive decision making for both the artists and the viewers. The intention is to eventually have the art displayed in a variety of supportive venues so adults can see what kids in our community are feeling, and hopefully make some policy changes to positively impact all of us.

One of the participating artists talks about her process… “I’ve been painting since elementary school. I started with scribbles. My mom put me in activities to see what would stick, and I discovered a passion for art. I can’t give myself many compliments, but art is something I’m pretty good at. I think my piece represents insecurities in general, which are imposed on us by society’s standards about what you should look like… what is and isn’t considered beautiful. The measuring tape I put in the piece represents being measured up… both literally and figuratively. It’s vulnerable for me to put something so personal out there, but it’s the only way we can make an impact.”

Another artist considered carefully to find the words to express their reasons for participating in this project… “A lot of times younger artists are overlooked and often understated or ignored due to generational bias. This project brings our point of view into the narrative, where you have to at least acknowledge us.”

Guests at the Gallery are strongly encouraged to take the necessary time to view this display and read each of the artists’ statements. This is definitely not a collection of “pretty” paintings… it’s an honest and sobering look into the hearts of young members of our own community… but presented in the spirit of hope. In Vanessa’s words. “This project has the potential to create a lasting impact by engaging youth and the community in a creative and educational exploration of substance use prevention, healthy lifestyles and community well-being. By harnessing the power of art, collaboration and community involvement, we can foster positive change, empower youth voices and contribute to a healthier and more informed community.”