45 By Chris Calder An art form that blends ancient Hindu texts and satire wor- thy of Jon Stewart. A mingling of the barest materials – light, shadow, wood, paper – with the most daring cinematic tech- niques. This is wayang, as shadowmaster Larry Reed will perform it during the 3rd Annual Mendocino Film Festival in May. Puppets, made to come alive as shadows, are the players in wayang. But at the center of the performance is the dalang, or shadowmaster, a figure who pushes our concept of art in potent and unfamiliar directions. “In Indonesian culture,” says wayang expert Sean Smith, “the dalang is greatly respected in his community…The rods of at least 20 wayang figures are manipulated as the dalang chants or sings his narration. He is accompanied by an orchestra of four metal-keyed instruments that sound like fairies (the gamelan orchestra). The dalang cues the orchestra with his feet while he improvises a complex network of intrigues from a simple plot. He must be able to produce a different voice for each character as well as to physically endure an all-evening performance. He is a master storyteller, a philosopher, a poet, an actor, and a teacher. It is said that the dalang is the greatest educator of the people.” Over the past thirty-five years, wayang master Larry Reed has made an international reputation by blending his art with storytelling traditions from around the world. While avant- garde, wayang is community oriented and particularly fun for kids. Shadowlight’s Mendocino performance will add the attrac- tion of a stage viewable back and front, so audience members can watch Reed at work. “Seeing how other people think about things is a way of experiencing your own humanity,” says Reed. “Our performanc- es provide a bridge between one ancient culture and another.” While the art form is exotic and ancient, it evokes the expe- rience of modern cinema. In a teaching manual Reed co- authored, he describes his experience of wayang as “the original screenplay, thousands of years old.” In the spirit of honoring the arts in all its forms, the Mendocino Film Festival is proud to offer this special presentation. A special exhibit of pup- pets will be featured at the Mendocino Art Center during the month of May. The event is funded by a grant from the Community Foundation of Mendocino County Arts for Our Future Program. The Mendocino Film Festival also presents a special category of “Films on the Arts” that brings to the festival the life and work of outstanding artists, dancers and musicians. The Festival’s pre- senting sponsors this year are Spiritual Cinema Circle and Earth Cinema Circle, specialized DVD membership clubs. For more information about the Mendocino Film Festival, May 29- June 1, 2008, please visit www.mendocinofilmfestival.org. Wayang and the Shadowmaster Film Festival to Showcase Exotic Shadow Puppet Theater
Transcript
45
By Chris Calder
An art form that blends ancient Hindu texts and satire wor-thy of Jon Stewart. A mingling of the barest materials – light,shadow, wood, paper – with the most daring cinematic tech-niques. This is wayang, as shadowmaster Larry Reed will performit during the 3rd Annual Mendocino Film Festival in May.
Puppets, made to come alive as shadows, are the players inwayang. But at the center of the performance is the dalang, orshadowmaster, a figure who pushes our concept of art in potentand unfamiliar directions.
“In Indonesian culture,” says wayang expert Sean Smith,“the dalang is greatly respected in his community…The rods ofat least 20 wayang figures are manipulated as the dalang chants orsings his narration. He is accompanied by an orchestra of fourmetal-keyed instruments that sound like fairies (the gamelanorchestra). The dalang cues the orchestra with his feet while heimprovises a complex network of intrigues from a simple plot.He must be able to produce a different voice for each character aswell as to physically endure an all-evening performance. He is amaster storyteller, a philosopher, a poet, an actor, and a teacher. Itis said that the dalang is the greatest educator of the people.”
Over the past thirty-five years, wayang master Larry Reedhas made an international reputation by blending his art withstorytelling traditions from around the world. While avant-garde, wayang is community oriented and particularly fun forkids. Shadowlight’s Mendocino performance will add the attrac-tion of a stage viewable back and front, so audience members canwatch Reed at work.
“Seeing how other people think about things is a way of
experiencing your own humanity,” says Reed. “Our performanc-es provide a bridge between one ancient culture and another.”
While the art form is exotic and ancient, it evokes the expe-rience of modern cinema. In a teaching manual Reed co-authored, he describes his experience of wayang as “the originalscreenplay, thousands of years old.”
In the spirit of honoring the arts in all its forms, theMendocino FilmFestival is proud to offerthis special presentation.A special exhibit of pup-pets will be featured atthe Mendocino ArtCenter during themonth of May. Theevent is funded by agrant from theC o m m u n i t yFoundation ofMendocino County Artsfor Our FutureProgram. TheMendocino Film Festival also presents a special category of“Films on the Arts” that brings to the festival the life and work ofoutstanding artists, dancers and musicians. The Festival’s pre-senting sponsors this year are Spiritual Cinema Circle and EarthCinema Circle, specialized DVD membership clubs.
For more information about the Mendocino Film Festival, May 29-June 1, 2008, please visit www.mendocinofilmfestival.org.
Wayang and the ShadowmasterFilm Festival to Showcase ExoticShadow Puppet Theater
46
Black Bart in Mendocino County
by Bruce Levene
If you had met him in San Francisco between 1875 and1883, Charles Boles would have claimed he was a mining man.He was, in fact, a failed gold miner, but as Black Bart he becamethe most prolific stagecoach robber in American history and alegend in California and the West. During his career CharlesBoles held up 29 stagecoaches (20 more than any other high-wayman), but twelve lines of poetry made him a chapter ratherthan a footnote in California history.
At the site of his 4th robbery, in Sonoma County in 1877,under a rock on a tree stump, this message was scribbled on aWells Fargo waybill:
I've labored long and hard for breadFor honor and for richesBut on my corns too long you've tredYou fine haired Sons of Bitches
Black Bart, the Po8
A year later, after his 5th robbery in Butte County, he leftthese lines inside a broken express box:
here I lay me down to sleepto wait the coming morrowperhaps success perhaps defeatand everlasting sorrow.Let come what will, I’ll try it on,My condition can’t be worse,But if there’s money in the box,It’s munny in my purse.
Black Bart the Po8
When Boles was captured in 1883 (the result of a tell-talelaundry mark—Fxo7—on a "dirty, torn white silk crepe hand-kerchief "—the first time this clue appears in detective litera-ture), he wouldn't explain the poetry, but he did say that thealias was adopted from an 1871 proto-science-fiction thrillertitled The Case of Summerfield, containing a character namedBlack Bart.
Charles Boles, alias C.E. Bolton, alias T.Z. Spalding, aliasBlack Bart the Po8, was 46 years old when he held up his firststagecoach near Copperopolis in Calaveras County in July,1875. That netted him about $250, just equal to the reward setfor him after the robbery. Until his last holdup, again in
Calaveras, in November, 1883,he became the very model of theclassic gentleman highwayman.
He was said to read theBible and Shakespeare, did notswear, smoke, drink or 'takeopium.' He never fired a shot inany of the robberies and it isdoubtful that his double-bar-relled shotgun was ever loaded.He never robbed passengers andtried not to frighten the ladies.He usually said "please" to thestage drivers.
Born in England, raised inNew York state, Boles was a goodstudent with perfect penman-ship. He married, fathered threechildren, was a farmer, and perhaps a teacher. It was a quiet,ordinary life, until 1862 when he enlisted in the Union Army.Boles fought with distinction in 17 major Civil War battles, waswounded three times and advanced from private to FirstSergeant. After the war he went west and his wife and childrennever saw him again.
Black Bart’s field of operations ranged over 350 miles inten counties in northern California and one in southernOregon. To travel from San Francisco to the locations of theholdups involved patience beyond our comprehension. Nobridges spanned San Francisco Bay or the Golden Gate. Hewould have crossed on ferries or ridden river boats to Stocktonor Sacramento.
To rob a stage in Mendocino County, Bart would haveboarded the San Francisco & North Pacific Railroad at Sausalitoand traveled to the railroad's terminus at Cloverdale. Onlystages went further north.
Inland the Central Pacific's tracks ended at Redding, inShasta County. Bart committed eleven robberies north ofRedding and traveled as far as Jacksonville, Oregon, a distanceof 177 miles in a cramped, dusty California and Oregon CoastOverland Stage, for 34 hours with changes of horses at 17 stagestops!
The best stagecoaches, the ‘Concords,’ seated nine passen-gers inside, one person next to the driver and up to a dozen in‘dickey’ seats (depending on the bulk of luggage and freightboxes) on the coach’s top. Two boots in the front and rear storedpassenger's luggage and leather mail sacks. Beneath the driver'sseat was the locked express or 'treasure box,' containing ship-
47
ments of gold, gold dust, cash, and small valuables. Stageswere pulled by four or six horses and the teams changed every10 or so miles.
Black Bart committed four robberies in MendocinoCounty. In his first venture to that rich timber and farmingcountry, in October, 1878, he held up two stages in two days.He must have heard that October was sheep-shearing season,when Wells Fargo handled large amounts of cash to pay shear-ers and to buy wool.
The Cloverdale and Arcata stage had come south afterstops at Cahto, Laytonville and Willits, and was about 10 milesfrom Ukiah. The coach plodded around a bend near ForsythCreek where the road sharply curved, a location perfectly sit-uated for a bandit's purpose. Approaching stages could not seethe boulder until they were on top of it, but a man hiddenbehind the rock could survey the road for at least a mile inboth directions.
Waiting for the stage Bart munched apples. Then heabandoned his unique touch of darting in front of the leadhorse, instead shouted at driver Alec Fowler, who had slowedhis team to a crawl coming around the sharp curve, to “Throwdown the box.”
Fowler knew he was caught. He couldn’t get the horsesup to speed soon enough to avoid being shot at, nor could he
shoot through the granite boulder. He dropped his own short-barreled shotgun, brought the stage to a halt, wound the linesaround the brake lever, then lifted the weighty express box outfrom under his seat. Bart demanded the mail sack as well,yelled at Fowler, “Now drive like hell!” and Fowler complied.Sheep season or not, Bart netted only $40 and a gold watch forhis troubles.
Ace tracker Sheriff Jim Moore immediately investigatedthe case, followed Bart for 60 miles on horseback, but lost himin the rough country along the Eel River.
The rock near Forsyth Creek was blasted away, coveredover, or pushed down into a canyon in the late 1940s when theState Highway Department straightened out curves onHighway 101. In 1955 a new section of highway was putthrough over Ridgewood Summit, passing by an even largerrock, now incorrectly called Black Bart Rock.
The highwayman possessed superior endurance in hik-ing cross-country over difficult terrain. By the following dayhe had eluded the posse and was 20 miles due east. The road
from Round Valley and Covelo to Ukiah, once a main thor-oughfare in Mendocino County, connected the Indian settle-ment and cattle town with the county seat. Nat Waltrip drovehis stage through Eden Valley and Hearst, then haltedovernight at Scott’s Valley House. Next morning the coachcontinued to Potter Valley. Near the junction with a wagonroad that went east to Lake County, Bart struck again. He "hadamused himself eating peaches, the pits of which were foundat the tree from which he stepped behind."
James Hume, the Wells Fargo detective credited withBart's final capture, had come up to Ukiah on the report of thefirst robbery; the next day he rode on horseback to the sceneof the second. He tracked Bart east, following his trail overscrub-laden foothills to Colusa County, where the trail wentcold. Bart had disappeared, hiking more than 70 miles in 48hours.
In January, 1882, after a four-year hiatus fromMendocino County, Bart struck again. Harry Forse was driv-ing his empty stage north from Cloverdale towards Hopland.Near the tollhouse a man stood in the road with his coatturned inside out. A white cloth drawn over his head showedonly two holes for his eyes. The robber raised his rifle,demanding that Forse halt and step down from the stage.While Bart held the horses, Forse threw out the treasure boxesand mail sacks. Then Bart ordered the driver to “git” and he“got.”
Forse whipped up his horses and gave the alarm at thetollhouse. Men armed with guns quickly went in pursuit.Messages were telegraphed to Ukiah, Hopland and Cloverdaleand sheriff 's posses left immediately. Searchers were on thespot within an hour. Bart had broken open the boxes, takenthe coin and made off into the hills. The regular mail sacks ofletters were later recovered. He had obtained $300 from theWells Fargo box. The posse followed Bart’s tracks as far asKelseyville, on Clear Lake, where the trail ended.
On an unseasonably cold June morning that same yearBart returned for his last Mendocino County adventure. Thestage left Willitsville at 2:30 a.m. heading for Ukiah. Five milessouth on the stage road driver Tom Forse (brother of HarryForse) was halted by the familiar hooded figure. The only pas-senger was Hiram Willits, Willitsville's postmaster and formerMendocino County Supervisor. A posse recovered the brokenexpress box and slit mail sacks, but couldn’t find the robber’sescape route. Bart made $300 from his efforts.
Black Bart was finally captured in 1883 and sent to SanQuentin. After his release from prison in 1888, he disappearedand was never seen nor heard from again. For more than ahundred years his disappearance and demise have been anunsolved historical mystery.
The education department coordinators at theMendocino Art Center are ever vigilant for new instruc-tors bringing a new slant, a new technique or process totheir field. Each schedule of classes brings a fresh list ofworkshop topics and teachers. So break out of the“junior college syndrome” (the same classes always taughtby the same instructors), and try something new at theMendocino Art Center. Here is a sampling of newinstructors coming to MAC during the next threemonths:
CERAMICS
ERNESTO HERNANDEZ OLMOS – “Create CeramicInstruments” (April 12 – 13). Ernesto is from Oaxaca,Mexico and was formally educated in the arts at the uni-
versity in Oaxaca. He isa multi-faceted artistwho works in manymedia, including paint-ing, sculpture, musicand dance. He contem-porizes the traditionalmusic forms fromOaxaca in addition tocreating his own com-
positions, and makes musical instruments based onMeso-American designs, including flutes, drums andwhistles fashioned from wood, clay, gourds, and bones.His music group Xaguia performs for diverse groupsacross North America using reproductions of traditionalinstruments from Mesoamerican cultures. His art con-veys cultural messages, and he is an inspired painterworking in oil, acrylic and pastels.
FINE ARTS
ANNE BROOKE – “Drawing: A Return to the Power ofSeeing” (May 17 – 18) and “Watercolor Basics: DevelopYour Own Style” (May 24 – 26). Anne Brooke has adegree in art and is a memberof the Watercolor Society ofOregon. She is well-known forher drawing skill and vibrantuse of color. She enjoys paint-ing landscapes, still lifes andfigures and has done manycommissions, most of whichalso include her calligraphy. Sheuses a limited palette and worksalways from a secure drawing.www.brookewatercolor.com
DAN HELLER – “Photo Business Seminar” (June 26) and“Perfecting Travel Photography” (June 27 – 29). DanHeller is a freelance photographer from Marin County.He started out like anybody else: taking pictures while onvacation. That led into his photography business: heshoots on assignment for companies in the travel indus-try, sells fine art prints, licenses stock photography to thecommercial trade, and is an industry analyst and consult-ant for the stock pho-tography trade. Hehas published severalbooks on the businessof photography.www.danheller.com
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JEWELRY
EDITH SOMMER – “Meet the Press” (April 4 – 6). Edithhas been working in preciousmetals for over 40 years. She islargely self-taught but has studiedwith some very famous jewelers,including Bob Ebendorf, EllenBroker, and Charles LaLoma.While precious metals and semi-precious stones are often incorpo-rated into her work, they are sec-ondary to the design of metal. Shebrings new dimensions to the usesof silver, gold, and copper, with
unusual patterns and manipulations from ancient andmodern technologies. She makes small boxes, unusualserving spoons and wearable art. Many of her designs areinspired by forms found in nature, and from ethnic pat-terns found on her many trips abroad.www.galleryhouse2.com
SPIDER – “Chainmail Jewelry” (May 16 – 18). Spider hasalways made things with her hands, starting at age 8 with
a quilt. She gothooked on chainmailwatching her motherwork as a seamstressat a RenaissanceFaire, but didn’t con-nect chainmail and
jewelry until 1997. She was working as an engineer andcomputer geek when she first learned to make chainmail,and quickly realized that her passion lay not in technolo-gy, but art. Today she spends her time discovering newand beautiful ways to weave metal.www.spiderchain.com
SCULPTURE
CHRISTALENE LOREN – “ExtremePaper Mache” (April 18 – 20).Christalene sculpts in a variety ofmedia, including cement, bronze, andpaper mache. She developed her tech-nique for extreme paper mache whiledesigning and constructing sets andprops for feature films and video pro-ductions. She is currently working ona series of monumental sculptures atthe future Psi Keep Center for the Artsin Lake County. Her sculptures are all in a fantasy mode.Christalene is also teaching two summer sculpture work-shops for the Art Center. www.dragonmaker.com
TEXTILES
AGUS ISMOYO and NIA FLIAM – “Batik – The Old andthe New” (June 28 – July 2). ISNIA stands for the collab-orative husband and wife team of Agus Ismoyo(Indonesian) and Nia Fliam (American). In 1985 theyestablished the batik studio Brahma Tirta Sari inYogyakarta, Indonesia, where they produce contempo-rary textiles. Ismoyo comes from a family whose ances-tors produced batik for the royal court of Surakarta inCentral Java. Fliam was born in the US, studied at thePratt Institute in New York, then went to Indonesia in
1983 to study batik and has livedthere ever since. In 1994 Nia andAgus began an intensive collabora-tion with Aboriginal women artistsfrom the central Australian desert,and during a two year period theyproduced 20 large batik wall hang-ings that are part of several perma-nent collections. According toJames Bennett, curator of Asian Artat the Art Gallery of South
Australia, “their international exhibition record and rep-resentation in major collections is testimony to theirbeing among the most significant textiles practitioners ofour times.” www.theislandgallery.net
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YOUNGARTISTSFAMILY MOSAICSMargaret Paul
June 25, 26, 28, 29
ADULT WORKSHOPS
GENERAL INTEREST
CREATING A JOY-FILLED BODYCari Corbet-OwenMay 17 – 18
CERAMICS
PINCH-n-PULLScott ParadyApril 5 – 6
CREATE CERAMIC INSTRUMENTS
Ernesto Hernandez-OlmosApril 12 – 13
CLAY FORMS AS TOOLSSusan ClusenerApril 19 – 20
FIGURES IN PAPERCLAYGregg JabsMay 3 – 4
CREATIVE EXTRUDINGWilliam Shinn
May10–11
CUT LOOSE WITH CLAYMelanie KnoxMay 17 – 18
WOOD-FIRE SEDUCTIONNicholas SchwartzMay 24 – 26
PAPERCLAY ENCOUNTERChris RodiJune 4 – 8
CLAY, CREATIVITY &BEYOND
Richard Garriott-StejskalJune 11 – 15
IMAGE TRANSFER TECHNIQUESPaul WandlessJune 18 – 22
OBJECTS & IDEASSally BrogdenJune 25 – 29
COMPUTERARTS
INTRODUCTION TO THE DIGITAL CAMERA
Larry WagnerApril 5
DAZZLING TECHNIQUESWITH PHOTOSHOP
Janet DavisApril 19 – 20
DREAMWEAVING I: BEGINNING WEBSITE
DESIGNMolly DwyerApril 26 – 27
DREAMWEAVING II: INTERMEDIATE WEBSITE
DESIGNMolly DwyerMay 3 – 4
CREATING A UNIQUE BOOKJanet AshfordMay 17 - 18
CREATE YOUR OWN BOOK USING ON-DEMAND
PUBLISHINGJanet AshfordJune 18 – 22
FINE ARTS
MANDALAS: PORTALS TOCREATIVITY
Susan St. ThomasApril 5 – 6
LET’S PAINT WATERCOLORMariko IrieApril 5 – 6
CREATING SERIGRAPHSMichael GuerrieroApril 12 – 13
OIL PAINTING WITH ERIN DERTNERErin DertnerApril 12 – 13
LOOSEN UP WITH BOB BURRIDGEBob BurridgeApril 16 – 20
FROM THE SOURCECynthia Schildhauer
April 19 – 20
WATERCOLOR PAINTINGUSING THE
WHITE OF YOUR PAPERPatricia OsborneApril 26 – 27
SKETCH 4 FUNJoanie MarlowApril 26 – 27
THE ART OF ENCAUSTICPatricia Seggebruch
May 2 – 4
WATERCOLOR AND MOREKaren BowersMay 3 – 4
ZEN PAINTINGAndy KayMay 3 – 4
WOW, THAT’S OUTRAGEOUSCOLOR!
Nancy CollinsMay 10 – 11
BY THE KOI POND INWATERCOLORPatricia OsborneMay 17 – 18
DRAWING: A RETURN TOTHE POWER OF SEEING
Anne BrookeMay 17 – 18
Detailed information at www.MendocinoArtCenter.org
APRIL, MAY AND JUNE WORKSHOPS
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WATERCOLOR BASICSDEVELOP YOUR OWN STYLE
Anne BrookeMay 24 – 26
LANDSCAPE PAINTING WITH A KNIFEHope StevensonMay 24 – 26
OPEN-SECRETMarci EasterbrookJune 16 – 20
EXPERIMENTAL WATERMEDIA AND
COLLAGESue SiskinJune 18 – 20
SQUASH THE CRITIC,PRAISE THE PROCESS
Lauren MantecónJune 21 – 22
PHOTO BUSINESS SEMINARDan HellerJune 26
PERFECTING TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY
Dan HellerJune 27 – 29
MONOPRINTINGKaren Cox and Cayen RobertsonJune 28 – 29
Visit our website atwww.MendocinoArtCenter.org for complete descriptions of
these workshops. April and Mayworkshops are listed under“Spring” and June workshopsappear under “Summer.”Catalogs also mailed
on request.707 937-5818
AT THE MENDOCINO ART CENTER
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Inland Mendocino CountyMendocino County’s inland valleys, and the towns that inhabit
them, are essentially river-born. The original “owners” of this diverseand beautiful landscape included the Pomo peoples who occupiedthe valleys and foothills along the Russian River from the its sourcesnorth and east of Ukiah to its mouth near present-day Jenner. Today,the river is still vital to the way of life (different from that of the nativepeople’s, and continually evolving) brought to the area by Europeanand American settlers over 150 years ago.
Two of those early settlers, Grace Carpenter and her husband,John Hudson, took a particularly enlightened interest in the lives oftheir Pomo neighbors. The Hudson’s craftsman style home and arare collection of Grace’s paintings, as well as a fine assortment ofPomo art and artifacts, are on display at the Grace Hudson Museumin Ukiah.
Most of today’s travelers enter inland Mendocino County viaHighway 101. From the south, the highway follows the Russian Riverthrough oak-dotted hill country, past monolithic Squaw Rock andinto tranquil Sanel Valley. Although the valley’s hop vines were pulledup decades ago in favor of pear trees and, later, grape vines, agricul-ture still dominates the area. It’s only town, Hopland, is home to suchlocal and tourist favorites as Brutocao Winery, Hopland Brewery andthe renowned Solar Living Center.
Ten miles north of Hopland, at the crest of Burke Hill, the high-way affords a panoramic view of the Ukiah Valley, with the Russian
River meanderingthrough its center.Vineyards andorchards crowd theriver’s banks. Ukiah,the County seat, nestlesat the foot of the west-ern hills, halfway upthe valley. To thenortheast, in the dis-tance, can be seen therugged Yollo Bollyrange, whose highest
peaks, Hull Mountain, Snow Mountain and Mount Sanhedrin, arecrowned with snow throughout winter and early spring.
Ukiah is the County’s largest incorporated city and serves as itsbanking, commercial and local government center. Ukiah boasts anextensive older neighborhood of charming homes and tree-shadedresidential streets, as well as an attractive, thriving downtown filledwith art galleries, bookstores, craft and gift shops, clothing boutiques,bakeries and a number of fine restaurants. Schat’s Bakery, on PerkinsStreet, across from the Courthouse, is a local favorite. Also downtownare such excellent dining places as Patrona (lunch and dinner) andOco Time (Japanese cuisine). The 18-hole Ukiah Municipal Golf
Course is located against the hills on the west side of town, adjacent toTodd Grove City Park, where the popular “Concerts in the Park” seriesis held each summer.
North of Ukiah is the rocky, wooded slope of Laughlin Ridge,which once provided convenient “cover” for the notorious stage rob-ber, Black Bart. Today, four-lane Highway 101 soars over the crest, at101’s highest point in California, past Ridgewood Ranch – home oflegendary race horse Seabiscuit – and down into Little Lake Valley andthe town of Willits.
The lives and times of Seabiscuit, Black Bart and other colorfulelements of Mendocino County’s rich history are fascinatingly dis-played at the Mendocino County Museum on Commercial Street.Willits, “Gateway to the Redwoods,” is also home to the fabulousSkunk Train, with excursions through the redwood forest to FortBragg, and Frontier Days, featuring the oldest continuously heldrodeo in California.
Continuing north from Willits, you’ll encounter the incompa-rable redwoods, and the steep, deep canyon of the Eel River’s SouthFork. A drive east from Highway 101, beginning at Longvale, will takeyou along the Eel’s Main and Middle forks to picturesque RoundValley and the Eel’s headwaters high up in the Yollo Bollys.
New & Gently Used BooksOrganic Biodynamic TeaCool Cards and Gifts
The downtown area is warm and inviting where you can shop and dine amongst majesticscenery and friendly people. Visitors will find everything from antiques and galleries tofine cuisine and local wine.
SPRING SPECIAL EVENTS:Pastels on the Plaza – local artists create sidewalk art, Saturday, May 17.Taste of Downtown Friday, June 20 - Join the fun, enjoy the bounty of Mendocino County.Taste dozens of world-renowned local wines, microbrews, brandies, and more whilestrolling through historic downtown.
Visit www.Ukiahmainstreetprogram.com for more spring time events
A Full Service Jewelry StoreCustom Work • Bridal Sets
Designer Jewelry
EXHIBITING LOCAL ARTISTS
21 S. Main St. Willits 456-9025
Mon - Fri 11-6, Sat 11-5
indulging creativity
Professional Art SuppliesVan Gogh Oils & Acrylics
Windsor NewtonCanvases
Paper • Quality BrushesScrapbooking Craft Supplies and more.
358 S. Main St. Willits
707 459-2043Mon- Sat 9 am - 6 pm
Books for EveryoneAlso: NYTimes, audio books,Children’s books, Maps, gifts
OPEN DAILY15 S. MAIN ST, WILLITS
707 459-3744
By Jay Gordon
The Willits Center for the Arts is nestled in a tree-shrouded area just around the corner from the north end ofMain Street in downtown Willits. The tall windows inviteyou to peek inside at the vibrant exhibits of local artists thatchange every month. Willits, like every other community in
Mendocino County, always has a “bumper crop” of talentedartists and craftspeople.
The opening of the new exhibit at the beginning ofeach month always features a catered celebration with greatfood and live entertainment. Any sale of art must be negoti-ated off the premises directly with the artist since the build-ing is owned by the City of Willits. This is an atmospherefor savoring art, not for selling it. That is saved for theannual Art Show & Auction from mid-February to mid-March.
Your visit, whether for the opening celebration orthroughout the month, is always free. The operation is sup-ported by donations and the most important powerresource any thriving community has: volunteers.
Each new exhibit has afocus. At times, they featureartists under 20 years of age,mixed media sculpture, photography, pottery, drawings,paintings -- the gamut of all the visual arts will appearsometime during the year. Their website provides a sched-ule of upcoming events: www.willitscenterforthearts.org.
Construction is underway to renovate the venerablebuilding the Center has occupied at 71 E. Commercial St.since 1999. When completed, there will be two art galleriesand a classroom downstairs. The sprawling upstairs willsoon be available for community activities – with particularemphasis on projects for the youth of Willits. They expectto host workshops, theatrical rehearsals, and recitals. Thedirectors of the Willits Cultural Arts Commission are recep-tive to suggestions.
The Willits Center for the Arts is open Thursdays andFridays, 4-7 p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays you may visitfrom noon - 3 p.m. For more information, in addition to theirwebsite, volunteers are available to take your call at 707-459-1726.
Art in a Small Town. . . An invitation to Willits
Recent Latino Exhibit
Upstairs at the Willits Center for the Arts
A recent exhibit
Gallery of Artists
Celtic Creations Jewelry Studio & GalleryJewelry artists Chris &Shani Christenson createfine Celtic & Natureinspired jewelry and spe-cialize in custom wedding
rings. Upstairs, corner of Main & Kasten Streets,Mendocino. 707 937-1223 www.celticcreations.com • email: [email protected]
Ford St. N. of Mendocino Post Office • 707 937-1003 [email protected]
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John BirchardProfessional PhotographyOn the Coast since1985. Art slides, promo-tion, fine art landscape,events, portraits, adver-tising. Shown at Highlight
Maeve Croghan Expressionist Nature PaintingsThe paintings are begun plein air,conveying the essence of myNature subjects.Exhibits at Mendocino Auberge Inn, Little River. Studiovisits by appointment, 707 937-3475. www.maevecroghan.com
Robert BurridgeContemporary Painter
• Monthly Online Newsletter. To sign up go towww.RobertBurridge.com It’s free!• New DVD • New Workshop Schedule
Ann Berger/Sea Bluff StudioSculptural CeramicsUnique, whimsical, exuberant,sculptural ceramics that make astatement! Studio always open ifI’m home. Come and beimpressed.707 785-2044 www.seabluffstudio.com [email protected]
Karen BowersPainter & Teacher• Workshops at Mendocinoand Gualala Arts Centers• Locally shown at Artists’Cooperative of Mendocino• Visit my Studio Gallery, byappointmentwww.karenbowersstudio.com• [email protected]
www.pwdfinewoodworking.comwww.edgewatergallery.net • 707 367-4509Edgewater Gallery Artist
Pamela Goedhart Original WatercolorsAward-winning “SassyCafé” series, flowers and a wide variety of otherinspiring subjects. Withconcentration on color,beauty and joy! To make
Suzi Marquess Long came tothe Coast to housesit, andnow has a successful andunique pastel gallery in awatertower to showcase herincredible paintings. Don'tmiss this! 707/[email protected]
Gallery of Artists
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Susan Louise MoyerDye paintings on silk,Original paintings andarchival prints. Available for commis-sions and teachingworkshops in “Susan’sStudio in theRedwoods.”
Sandy OppenheimerMixed media / Collagewww.fisheroppenheimer.com
Painting with paper, pattern and design, Portraiture, Still Lifes and Landscapes
call: 707 964-0359
Alexis NichandrosMoyerCeramicsVisit The Pot Shop, a work-ing pottery studio produc-ing sculptural and function-al artworks. 7450 Highway128, Philo. Hours vary,please call ahead for
Jan PetersonSandpaintingsJan Petersons’ 25 yearsshowing with theHighlight Gallery has made him a favoriteMendocino visual enter-tainer. All aspects of theshoreline inspire his
3611 Navarro Ridge RoadAlbion, CA 95410707 [email protected] on Sundays -
Call ahead
WWW.BILLMARTINGALLERY.COM
Julie MastersonPhotographyMy unmanipulated imagespresent encounters withthe natural environmentfrom around the world,from Mendocino to Tibet,Antarctica, Patagonia,India, Arabia, and Africa. [email protected]
www.Juliemasterson.com Edgewater Gallery Artist
Jack McBridePhotography
An award winning photographer who has been shootinghere since 1987. See more of his local images at the
Highlight gallery in Mendocino or atwww.JackMcBridePhotography.com
REWARD YOUR DOGCommission a carvedwood sculpture forthe wall or tabletop.
Stan PetersonProfessional artist andteacher for 25 plusyears and a frequentArtist in Residence at
Janis PorterWatercolorsCoastal scenes, land-scapes, flowers, etc.Shown at EdgewaterGallery, PrenticeGallery, Artists Co-opof Mendocino,Stevenswood and the Mendocino Art Center.
707 964-8884 Edgewater Gallery Artist
Rush StudioCustom Gold & Silver Jewelry andRepairsOver 35 Years ExperienceShown at Prentice Gallery, 17701 North Hwy 1, Fort BraggUnique one-of-a-kind jewelry!707 882-2441 Web: rushstudio.com [email protected]
Robert RhoadesPainting, Original Prints,SculptureProfessor of Art,CRMC leads exclusive painting,art, and culture toursabroad. See websiteto view his work and
current trip info.www.creekwoodstudios.com
Cynthia Crocker ScottPaintings in oil and water mediaMy paintings are expressionsof the brilliant color and lightrelationships between sky, seaand land – the natural worldand man’s built environment.Prentice Gallery, Fort Bragg &
Shaggy Bear StudiosCeramic, Wood, Stone & SteelUnique elements for home& garden. Sculptures, bench-es, fountains, birdbaths and more by Mendocino artistsDavid Russell and ThaisMazur. Visit our studio andsculpture garden.
707 964-7085 • www.edgewatergallery.net Edgewater Gallery Artist
Linda ShearinAcrylic, Watercolor & PastelWavescapes, coastal scenes,flowers and abstracts areavailable at EdgewaterGallery in Fort Bragg,Stevenswood Lodge in LittleRiver, and the Mendocino ArtCenter. [email protected];www.edgewatergallery.netEdgewater Gallery Artist
Paul Stein Studio/Cow House Gallery
presents:“Missile Millennium”A Studio Gallery Show June - September 2008
Marge StewartCloisonné Jewelry, DigitalArt, Graphic DesignJewelry shown at theMendocino Art Center.Commissions available.Digital Pet Portraits of yourfavorite pet available.Cloisonné and Digital
Leona Fern Waldenwww.WeddingPhotographs.comWedding, Family & Senior Class PortraitsSpecializing in IntimateOutdoor Weddingson the Mendocino CoastSince 1995By Appt. 707 937-0900
For the past several months, MAPA (MendocinoArea Parks Association) has been sponsoring a con-test to solicit artwork in all media that best repre-sents the beauty of the area’s state parks. Now theartwork selected is ready for a juried art auction anda traveling show. All proceeds from the auction willbenefit the educational programs of MAPA, includ-ing their nature talks/walks for children, JuniorRanger and Campfire programs.
The “Walk on the Wild Side” auction and ban-quet will be held on Saturday, April 19th at PentecostHall in Fort Bragg. Some of the coast’s finest chefsand caterers will prepare the banquet, featuring wildfood such as abalone, boar, crab, mushrooms, andother delicacies. Participants will be treated to finewine and music, and have the opportunity to bid onthe superb artwork that was submitted to MAPA.After the Wild SideAuction, the winningartworks will becomea traveling show, onexhibit in severallocations throughoutthe county throughOctober. TheMendocino ArtCenter is proud tohost this exhibit forthe month of Mayand part of June.
