Be sure to check out the Online Gallery celebrating Mendocino Artists. 50 artists offer over 400 unique items for sale. There are some great gifts here to browse through.
Thank you for those supporting the arts in your community! You can donate using the ‘donate’ link at the upper right here
**For 2020, people who don’t itemize can still get a tax deduction of up to $300 for charitable donations. It’s part of the CARES Act. https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/how-the-cares-act-changes-deducting-charitable-contributions .
The Willits Center for the Arts presents Fabric Baskets by Rosie Saxe and Paintings by Mariangela La Thanh: The show opens January 2nd and runs through January 31st.
Mariangela Le Thanh is a Vietnamese artist now based in Bell Springs, in northern Mendocino County. As a child of diaspora, they were born and grew up in Italy and then migrated to California: Their work often reflects on those intrusive feelings of not quite belonging, not deserving to belong somewhere, and the anxieties of fitting in undetected in white dominated spaces. They cement their presence into paintings as a way to accept, remember and celebrate who they are, where and when they are; hoping to connect to fellow humans who feel similarly. These paintings take inspiration from their surroundings, from personal but relatable drama, and from the scary questions we all ask ourselves: Where are we headed, what’s the meaning of our short, but sometimes fun, lives?!”
Rosie Saxe lives in Briceland, a tiny hamlet in Southern Humboldt with her husband, teenage daughter, a dog and four cats. She and her husband own and operate a small family winery and work to raise their own vegetables and livestock. She grew up in Upstate New York and earned her BFA from Syracuse University in Fiber Arts.
She told us about her relationship with fabric baskets. “I gravitated to coiling basketry because I can do it anywhere and with any material. While I am weaving I like to think about all the people, in all the villages, in so many cultures, that are coiling and weaving and making just like me. We are all connected.” see more .
Also, The Willits Photography Club has a spectacular show in the Great Room.
The Board of Directors of the Arts Council of Mendocino County has announced the 18th Annual Mendocino County Arts Champion Award recipients. Each year, nominations for Arts Champion Awards are solicited from the community at large. Honorees are selected by the ACMC Board of Directors, and are formally recognized with an official proclamation from the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors. The 2020 awards and proclamation were presented by the Board of Supervisors at its meeting on December 15.
The 2020 Arts Champions are as follows:
Individual: Gary Martin (our beloved curator)
Artist: Lauren Sinnott
Arts Organization: Art Center Ukiah
Business: Willits Weekly
Educator: Judy Stavely
Read more
May your holidays be safe, bright, and merry!
The Willits Center for the Arts Board of Directors:
Sandy Strong, Emmy Good, Laura Wiecek, Barbara Willens,
Judy Fisch, Lisa Davis, Gary Martin, Lola Saba, Billy Hetherington
