Small Works

Opening Reception: Friday, March 2 at 5:00 p.m.
Exhibit remains through April 1, 2012
Gualala Arts Center

"Good things come in small packages" applies to art as well as to jewelry. The Small Works Exhibit in March of 2012 hopes to provide some artistic gems. Any two or three dimensional piece in any medium can be submitted, provided it can fit in a twelve inch cube with frame and matting included.

This concept was first pioneered six years ago by the late Merilyn Lafferty, who curated the first Small Works Exhibit in February, 2006. Lafferty, the wife of sax player, Harrison Goldberg, also curated a number of other Gualala Arts shows including the 2006 Giri exhibit of Japanese art and culture.

Japanese Netsuke carvings are only one example of what would be appropriate for the upcoming event. A netsuke is a carved, button-like ornament worn on clothes usually made of wood or ivory that have become collector items.

Miniature portraits developed from illuminated manuscripts and flourished in Europe from the sixteenth century through the eighteenth until they were replaced by photographs. In 2004, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York purchased an 11x8 inch painting for $50 million dollars.

The three dimensional art of turned wood, carved stone, glass, woven baskets, gourds, decoupage box, and clay also could provide interesting and provocative entries. The smallest piece in the 2006 show was Suzanne Hansen's completely hand sewn beaded "Humming Bird" box.

Limiting the size of the piece provides a challenge to some artists by asking them to work on a small scale so they have to reduce the scope of big ideas and large creations. For others the appeal is the precision work and detail. Some find the size restriction forces them to think in new ways.

The real trick for any artist is to catch the eye of the viewer and to make an artistic statement within the size restriction. Organizer Bruce Jones, inspired by Lafferty's vision, anticipates this reprise exhibit will create as big a response as the original Small Works Exhibit did. The scale may be confined but there is no limit to the imaginative possibilities.

Deadline for submissions is February 15, 2012 and delivery of exhibits is on February 28, 2012. Entry forms are available online and at the Arts Center.

The Gualala Arts Center, located at 46501 Old State Highway in Gualala, CA,
is open weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and weekends from noon to 4:00 p.m.
Please call (707) 884-1138 for more information, or email info@gualalaarts.org.

Serving the coastal communities of northern Sonoma & southern Mendocino Counties.