ED Update on Gualala Arts

The following is an update of our current situation as of today, August 1, 2021.

• Our motto these days…Plan, adjust, see what the day brings, try to get some rest, adjust again!

Time will tell if and when we can pull off our art programming plans for the rest of summer and fall…please hang in there with us as we lead with Love and cautious optimism while we plan our mission to promote public interest and participation in the arts.

• “Safety First” continues to be the common theme for keeping the Arts Center doors open! Updated as of July 17, (due to the recent surging in delta variant) masks are required again for ALL visitors and volunteers inside and outside during events the Gualala Arts Center and Dolphin Gallery unless actively eating. Gualala Arts is allowing volunteers and visitors to “self attest” that they are fully vaccinated. They can walk the grounds unmasked in a family pod if distancing is possible from others, but masking is always safer and preferred.
• YES! Art in the Redwoods 60^th anniversary is on (we hope?!) We are making several changes this year and scaling back due to our current situation and to make it as safe as possible. We are REQUIRING ADVANCED PURCHASED ADMISSION TICKETS for attendees. These tickets are available for purchase at the Dolphin Gallery now located in Cypress Village. We have around 250 fine art entries inside, about 20 artists vendor booths, a wonderful Boxed Hat Dinner to-go prepared by Chef Rebecca Stewart. The dinner includes first access to purchase the art in person on Thursday, Aug 19, with a champagne preview Friday afternoon. The art continues on Saturday and Sunday with final food offerings still being planned. A full schedule of live performance art for outside including a new redwood tree vertical dancing troupe is planned for all 4 days.

We are honoring Sandy Ostrau as our featured artist this year. Sandy has generously donated a 30” x 30” oil painting that will go to one lucky Boxed Hat Dinner attendee. Our wonderful PPQG has created a wonderful Quilt to be raffled off for our youth art scholarship. Invitations have hit the mail and are available at Gualala Arts and Dolphin Gallery with lots opportunities to sponsor by purchasing a boxed Hat Dinner with levels from Friends up to the Grand Sponsor.  Dates for this year’s fine art exhibit is August 19 through Sept 5.  Look to our website and weekly eSketches for the most up to date information.

• We are also happy to give virtual tours to anyone interested via Zoom, FaceTme, 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 exhibits 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 report our multiple exhibits in our galleries at the Gualala Arts Center & Dolphin in July were a smashing success! They included “The Thought Behind the Shot: Four Photographers; Four Walls”, featuring Scott Chieffo, Paul Kozal, Bill Oxford, and Scott Sewell in the Burnett Gallery. In the Jacob Foyer was painter, Gerald Huth with his exhibit titled, “ Shelter in Place-Reflections of 2020. Gracing the Coleman Hall Gallery was a diverse, multi discipline exhibit by Michael Connor, Mirka Knaster and Paula Haymond titled, Pursuing Lines, Curves Abstract Languages.” All three of these exhibits sold well and were very well received by the viewing public!
• Live music came back to YOUR Gualala Arts Center in July! We were thrilled to welcome back live performance art this month!

Katalystic & the Global Harmony Series presented the international Reggae Superstar Pato Banton & The Now Generation Featuring Antoinette RootsDawtah for a Free Outdoor Concert for the CommUNITY, Sunday, July 18.  Even though this was a free concert, we limited tickets to keep the crowds down due to Covid-19. We sold out a week in advance and had about 300 in attendance.

Chamber Music returned to Gualala Arts on Sunday, July 25, 2021. This was a special, one-hour, outdoor performance by Roy Bogas and Friends. With this chamber music event, Bogas passed the baton over to another long-time favorite musician, Peter Wyrick. Following the concert, there was a reception to honor Roy’s 16 years of artistry as part of this summer festival. This concert also sold out and we were very grateful for all those in attendance.

• THANK YOU! We made it through our first 7 months of 2021… BUT it is going to be a challenging rest of the year!  We are calling on you—our faithful membership and art patrons!  We will have our traditional fundraising campaigns: “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!!!

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