Gualala Arts Promoting public interest and participation in the arts since 1961
The following is an update of our current situation as of today, April 2, 2021.
• GREAT NEWS! Gualala Arts Center doors ARE OPEN! We are open for retail sales of art 7 days a week (11am to 4pm). The Global Harmony Sculpture Gardens also remain open 7 days a week. Many thanks to the staff, artists and volunteers for creating a safe environment to embrace our challenges and rising to this occasion!
• “Safety First” is the common theme for keeping the Arts Center doors open! The staff at Gualala Arts has created a safe environment to stroll the halls with each room having: fresh Pacific breezes running though open doors, ceiling fans spinning above, air purifiers, sanitizer at entrance, central heat with dedicated furnace, ventilation filters, masks required from front gates of property, one person allowed in restroom at a time, requested 6 feet apart outside and 12 feet inside, We have literally been up all night thinking of ways to go above and beyond any requirements for the safety of our volunteers, staff and visitors.
• More great news Mendocino County has moved into the Red Tier. With that said, out of an abundance of caution, Gualala Arts and the Dolphin Gallery will remain following the protocols of the more restrictive purple tier but maximize our number of people per gallery. Our current plan is to stay one tier behind the current allowed. So far these numbers have been effective at keeping people safe and comfortable with minimal waiting while strolling through our sculpture gardens.
• 2021 exhibits are scheduled for 1-2-month periods at the Dolphin, Burnett, Jacob Foyer and Coleman Hall Galleries. Openings will alternate months & days so that every month there will be an opening day the First and Second Saturday of the month from 11 am to 7 pm. We managed to figure out a safe way to host large group exhibits in person AND Online! `We are also happy to give virtual tours to anyone interested via Zoom, FacetTme, Facebook video chat or Instagram Live. Please call 707-884-1138 or email sus@gualalaarts.org to set up a time. We are also happy to arrange an appointment to view exhibit at the Dolphin or Gualala Arts Center for a private tour before or after hours. We are exploring options to have the galleries open just for and your family pod; please call or email Sus if this interests you.
• We are very excited to have multiple exhibits in our galleries opening in April. “Combining Forces”-(a camera and a brush) by Arun Patel and Keith Wilson in the Burnett Gallery. “Heart and Soul”, featuring the art of Jane Head is featured in our Elaine Jacob Foyer Gallery. Jane is donating all of her proceeds to RCMS (our local medical clinic) and Gualala Arts. In our Coleman Hall Gallery are 3 artists’ exhibits: Susan Nutter, “A Retrospective Ceramic Exhibit,” Sharon Nickodem, “Running out of Storage Photography Exhibit” and Ann Savageau, “Environmental Collaboration Poles.” All three of these artists have generously donated these collections to make this sale a true fundraiser for Gualala Arts. “One Women’s Dreams and Visions” by Carolyne Singer will be featured at the Dolphin Gallery Featured Artists Exhibit in April & May.
• The Annual Arts in the Schools exhibit has gone Online! and will open on April 16 and be available for viewing at GualalaArts.org until June 10. The Mendocino/Sonoma “Arts in the Schools” exhibit represents hundreds of students from Fort Ross, Kashia, Horicon, Arena, Point Arena High School, home study, Pacific Community Charter, and Manchester schools. Our coastal schools work hard to provide art programs that enrich students with time each week to create art, whether with full-time art programs, volunteer programs, or through grant funding. Research shows that art and creativity help children succeed in core curriculum subjects. Continuing to have art programs in our local schools is a huge accomplishment especially considering budget cuts to such programming.
• “Gualala Salon and Salon Salon des Refusés” in May and the “60th Annual Art in the Redwoods” exhibit in August ARE happening this year! They are both open calls to artists and will be happening in person at the Gualala Arts Center and Online! in our new digital Galleries. Thanks to our generous sponsors we will award $1,000 for First Place, $750 for Second and $500 for third place in the Salon Exhibit and over $5,000 in prize monies in 14 different categories will be awarded at Art in the Redwoods this year.
• More good news! We have applied early and received our PPP2 (Payroll Protection Program) funding that will helped us get through the first quarter of 2021. We have also received confirmation that our first round of PPP loan will turn into a grant. Thanks to Westamerica Bank & the Small Business Association for facilitating this much-needed revenue to keep our staff employed!
• THANK YOU! We made it through our first quarter BUT it is going to be a challenging 2021! We are calling on you—our faithful membership and art patrons! We will have 3 separate fundraising campaigns: “Spring for the Arts”, “60th annual Art in the Redwoods” and our year end, letter campaign “Bridging the Gap.” It is your generosity that has kept the arts alive and thriving for 60 years.
• YOU make a difference and are playing a key role in continuing the legacy of Gualala Arts. Thank you! Thank you! Thank YOU!!!
These are uncertain times for all of us to say the least. The board and finance committees are making prudent decisions with our Gualala Arts assets. If you find that you are in a position to help our revenue stream loss, it would be greatly appreciated. We are looking to continue our mission – to promote public interest & participation in the arts since 1961 – well into the future.
WE make a difference with our choices.
David Sus Susalla
Executive Director
Gualala Arts
Promoting public interest and participation in the arts since 1961