ED Update From Gualala Arts

Read here or download the PDF.

Plan, adjust, see what the day brings, try to get some rest, adjust again!

The following is an update of our current situation as of today, September 22, 2021.

It has been a roller coaster of a summer, and it is incredible to think it is already over today. We are preparing for fall and continue to lead with Love, gratitude 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! Masks are required for ALL visitors and volunteers inside and outside during events at the Gualala Arts Center and Dolphin Gallery unless actively eating or drinking for EVERYONE.  You can walk the grounds unmasked in a family pod during non-event days if distancing 6-12 feet is possible from others, but masking is always safer and preferred.
• We hoped to open the inside of the Gualala Arts Center to all of our performances, programs, interest groups, classes, workshops, library etc. on September 1.  But due to the uncertainty of the Delta variant, vaccine hesitancy, spiking numbers in Mendocino county and a myriad of other concerns, we are postponing that reopening to January 1, 2022.  We will remain open inside for retail sales of Art and hosting outdoor events, groups, classes, concerts and rentals.
• Art in the Redwoods 60^th (AIR60) anniversary went very well.  We made several changes this year and scaled back due to our current situation and to make it as safe as possible. We required advanced ticket purchases for attendees. These tickets were available for purchase at the Dolphin Gallery & Gualala Arts Center. We will adjust this next year and offer 2 types of tickets per day – an early 10-1pm ticket and a late 1-4pm ticket for each day Sat & Sun.  This way we can double our admissions and still keep it a safe (non-crowded-spreading out our visitors) event.  We operated at about 50% capacity of a normal Art in the Redwoods and surpassed our financial budget thanks to our generous sponsors and attendees!  We actually sold more art inside and more average per artist booth outside with these limited crowds.  We had around 250 fine art entries inside, about 20 artists vendor booths outside, a wonderful sold-out Boxed Hat Dinner to-go prepared by Chef Rebecca Stewart and entertainment galore outside with the Mendocino Dance Project stealing the show with their “Dancing in the Redwoods” offering this year. BIG thanks goes out to all our volunteer performers, docents, workers, artists and staff.
• Special thanks goes out to our featured artist Sandy Ostrau who generously donated a 30” x 30” oil painting for our Boxed Hat Raffle.  Our wonderful PPQG that created a magnificent Quilt raffled off for our youth art scholarship.
• We are very excited to report that our multiple exhibits in our galleries at the Gualala Arts Center & Dolphin in September were well received and successful.  Thanks to the return of the Bay Area Basket Makers & the “Paint, Fiber Glass” exhibit by Thomas Burgard, Nancy Kennedy, Kathryn Weiss.
• ED Letter September 23 2021
  We are busily preparing for our October exhibits. The Gualala Arts Center will be wrapped in quilts by PPQG annual quilt challenge titled “Flying Free” and The Pointless Sisters Art Quilt Group of Sonoma County presenting a quilt exhibit titled “River Wild.”  “North Coast Live” and “Area 52” are two new exhibits sharing the stage at the Dolphin Gallery in Gualala beginning Saturday, October 9. The exhibits feature two artists: Chris Grassano and Paula Haymond. 
• We are also happy to give virtual tours to anyone interested via Zoom, FaceTime, 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.
• 
• More live music offerings at YOUR Gualala Arts Center in September & October! We are thrilled to welcome back live performances! 
  • Chamber Music returned to Gualala Arts on Sunday, September 12, 2021. This Chamber Music Concert featured musicians that musically light up the stage at the JAMI Amphitheater. Bringing the rich music of Felix Mendelssohn and Johannes Brahms were violinist Cordula Merks, cellist Evan Kahn, and pianist Brenda Tom Vahur.  Our audiences were thrilled with the opportunity to have live music under the redwood trees in the safety of the open Pacific breeze air.  
  • Most Saturdays in September feature free, live music on the Metcalf Terrace at the Gualala Arts Center 1-3pm
  • October 3, 2021 Gualala Arts LocalEyes Series is please to welcome “The Open Air- Musicaliving” “The Open Air” includes shakuhachi master Karl Young with Tim Mueller and Chris Doering on guitars and basses and Gabriel Yañez on drums. “We chose the theme and title ‘Musicaliving’ for this performance to emphasize that playing and listening to music is an essential part of life,” says Chris Doering. “We’re so glad that we can share the experience of music with a live audience in a safe environment, thanks to the support of Gualala Arts and the outdoor JAMI Amphitheater.”
  • October 10, 2021 Gualala Arts Chamber Music Series is pleased to welcome back Trio Celeste; tickets are now available at the Gualala Arts Center and the Dolphin Gallery
• Whew…Are you excited yet?!  We are!
• THANK YOU! We are close to making it through the first 3 quarters of 2021… BUT it is going to be a challenging 4^th quarter!  We are calling on you—our faithful membership and art patrons!  We had a successful AIR60 that got us through the summer!  Now we look onto our fall fundraising, “Bridging the Gap” to make it through yearend!  
• 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

Promoting public interest and participation in the arts since 1961