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Submitted by Gordon Huether Gallery

Gordon Huether has been given the rare opportunity to share the stage with artists who are not only known for the fine art they create but also for being world famous musicians. Huether, who has an unprecedented interest in presenting a refreshing variety of artwork to the community, has opened his gallery to introduce the fine art work of some of these celebrities.

In an attempt to mesh the arts, wine and music, Gordon Huether Gallery is kicking off the season in the Napa Valley with a series of exciting and eclectic pop-up exhibitions. The gallery currently has work by world-renowned musician, the legendary Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane on display.

by Courtney Cochran

When it comes to inspiration, wine country is about as alluring as it gets.  And so it is that wine country art - especially the kind you can meander amongst, on walking tours - takes on especially vivid expression. Whether it's made or just displayed in this lovely setting, it's more than worth a gander. Please allow us to steer you towards some rewarding walks.  

Napa: West End
Encompassing an approximately 6-block area in this once sleepy wine country seat, Napa's West End is a neighborhood offering arts of various intriguing sorts. From traditional art galleries - First Street's Quent Cordair comes to mind with its substantial collection of romantic realistic works - to tasting room installations to a fully restored, circa-1937 Art Deco theater, the Uptown, Napa's West End offers much to see on a stroll. Chris Isaak and Rusted Root are among the top-notch performances that can be seen at the Uptown, along with its colorful (original!) neon marquee. Or, come Saturday night, stop into Ceja Vineyards' tasting room for a rotating selection of artworks in addition to pours, then dance the night away via the spot's free salsa lessons.  

Need some mementos? Pick these up at the West End Napa gift store inside the contemporary Avia Hotel building. It's also where the neighborhood "living room" can be found, natch. The area is couched in the western portion of downtown Napa, approximately from School to Randolph streets and from First to Third streets.

Napa ARTwalk Momentum: Art that Moves (Us)
Arts Council Napa Valley (ACNV) and the Napa Community Redevelopment Agency have announced the return of the Napa ARTwalk interactive public sculpture exhibition and tour in downtown Napa. The second ARTwalk, titled "Momentum: Art that Moves (Us)," launched on October 19th 2011 and will be on exhibition through April, 2013 in downtown Napa. 

Art works - which hew to a new theme each exhibition - are selected with the help of CaFE (callforentry.org) and a panel of local art administrators, artists, and city officials.  The cost is free, and exhibits can be accessed throughout the day, 365 days a year, at visitors' leisure.  Download a map here, and for more information, call 707-257-2117.

Throughout the month of April, Napa Valley is celebrating the arts. Join Hess Collection Winery for a special event and presentation of the award-winning film !WAR featuring a rousing score by Carrie Brownstein. The film will debut in the West Galley of the Hess Art Collection at The Hess Collection Winery on Saturday, April 28, 2012 and benefits the Arts Council of Napa Valley.

The film is a moving collection of interviews with female artists recorded over four decades by artist Lynn Hershman Leeson captures the history of women in contemporary art, in their own, often contentious retelling of the impact of the feminist art movement that dates to the beginning of the women's liberation and civil rights movements of the 1960's. !WAR was selected as one of the three best documentaries of 2011 by the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and is an official selection of the Sundance, Berlin, San Francisco, Toronto and Human Rights Watch Film Festivals.

This not-to-be-missed event begins with a garden wine reception at The Hess Collection at 3 p.m., followed by a conversation with artist Leeson in the West Gallery of the Hess Art Collection led by popular KQED Forum host Michael Krasny. The 83-minute film follows.  Later, an exclusive dinner with limited seating with artist Leeson and Michael Krasny which will further benefit the Arts Council. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets online which include the reception, artist talk, and film screening all for only $100. For information about the exclusive dinner, which is a separate event and ticket, please contact Ashley Cox at acox@hesscollection.com or [707] 255-1144 x-226.

Ma(i)sonry features collections of art and sculptures on display which rotate seasonally with exhibits from Napa Valley favorites, the best in the Bay Area, as well as some of the most respected names worldwide; all of which are available for viewing and purchase. 

We invite you to join Ma(i)sonry in celebrating Arts in April on April 28-29th for our "MenMade" exhibition and artist receptions featuring sculptors Archie Held and James Lloyd and painters Adam Shaw and Robert Percy. This celebration of art will also include wine pairings by Rivera Vineyards. "MenMade" provides a toast to the visual connection between mankind and its origins in nature. The exhibit will be on display from April 28th - May 17th. For more information regarding the opening receptions, venues, and time - please visit us online.

To RSVP to the Opening Reception at I.Wolk Gallery, CLICK HERE.
To RSVP to the Sunday Salon at Ma(i)sonry Napa Valley, CLICK HERE.


About Ma(i)sonry Napa Valley

Mendocino, CA has a flourishing arts community with several galleries and art studios showcasing beautiful work. No exception is Boletus Edulis, a special photography exhibition by Paul Kozal, featuring images of California King Boletus mushrooms. It started out as a temporary photography exhibition just for the Mendocino County Wine and Mushroom Festival held earlier this year, but will now remain on view at Studio 391 through December.

The California King Bolete (boletus edulis) is commonly known as penny bun, porcini or cep. It is highly prized as an ingredient in various recipes and is considered one of the safest wild mushrooms to pick for the table, as there are no poisonous species that closely resemble it. Images were created using a flatbed scanner as camera. and then infused onto a sheer aluminum surface allowing the image to take on an almost magical luminescence.

About the Gallery:
Studio 391 is a fine art gallery specializing in photography, paintings, sculpture, glass, ceramics and mixed media by local, regional and nationally established artists. The gallery is located on Mendocino County's South Coast in Gualala's Cypress Village Gallery District. Gallery hours are Friday through Monday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Visit Mendocino Wine Country for suggestions on where to stay, dine, and taste wine! Or be adventurous and Go Mushroom Hunting!

DECEMBER

December 9 - 12 -- Annual Mendocino Coast Candlelight Inn Tour
Holiday: You are invited to enjoy evening tours of Mendocino area bed and breakfast inns and lodges while you help benefit Mendocino Coast Children through Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Mendocino and Mendocino Unified School Enrichment (MUSE). December 9 Inns of Mendocino, December 10 Inns & Lodges of Fort Bragg, December 11 Inns of Little River and Albion, December 12, Inns of Elk.
Fee: $30 all 4 nightsTime: 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. Phone Number: (707) 964.1228

 
December 25 -- Christmas Dinner at the Mendocino Hotel
Holiday, Dining: Starter:Duck confit strudel, Roasted Pumpkin soup, OR Parsnip,apple and pear salad Entree: Herb roasted cornish hen, certified angus prime rib, OR grilled fresh sea bass Dessert: warm ginger cake, warm apple pudding cake, OR pumpkin mousse. 45080 Main St, Mendocino, CA
Fee: adults $69/child (12&under) $24.00Time: 3 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Phone Number: (800) 548.0513

By Deirdre Bourdet

Five years ago, no one would have come to the city of Napa for its fine arts.  2010 marks the dawn of a new era for Napa's art scene, with no fewer than three downtown Napa galleries open to the public, a new month-long celebration of the arts this fall, and--for the first time in its 23-year history--an Open Studios event organized and planned by the artists themselves.  This autumn is the ideal time to visit Napa Valley and experience the artistic renaissance that is beginning to take shape.

Yakima Valley, WA - The season of music, dance and theatre is the longest season of all.

In the Yakima Valley of Central Washington there is a season for everything. Asparagus is harvested in spring, tomatoes in summer, and grapes in fall.

But fortunately for visitors, the Valley's robust arts season flavors the region all year long, with dance performances, Broadway musicals, concerts, symphonies, theater productions and visual arts exhibits.

The Capitol Theatre in downtown Yakima is a lovingly restored, 1,500-seat Vaudeville theatre that beautifully illustrates the community's commitment to its past and the future of the arts. Its stage hosts numerous performances and organizations, including the Yakima Symphony Orchestra, the Town Hall Series, community concerts and spectacular Broadway productions.

By Courtney Cochran

Michael Polenske, the Bay Area native who brought us "a life aesthetic" with Yountville's gorgeous Ma(i)sonry - which marries limited-production wines with expertly curated art and furnishings in a stylishly restored 1904 stone building - has added to his art ensemble with the purchase of I. Wolk Galleries.  The acquisition brings I. Wolk's three galleries (St. Helena, Auberge du Soleil, Mac Arthur Place) into partnership with Ma(i)sonry, further articulating the multi-faceted aesthetic vision that art and antiques-loving Polenske has pledged to bring to life in Wine Country.

ART GALLERIES
 
Visit galleries and museums in Fairfield that feature artists from the local community. Spend your Friday evening at the Art Explosion Gallery where they host "Art Jams" every first Friday of the month where you will meet artists, enjoy music, and of course gain an appreciation of art. Each event has a different them and artists and guests are encouraged to come in costume! 

Finally, located in downtown Fairfield is the FCCA Gallery (Fairfield Center For Creative Arts) and they offer ongoing exhibitions free to the public throughout the year. The 47th Annual Juried Art Show is already in full swing and lasts through March 27, 2010. Over 250 pieces of art (various mediums) were entered from artists all over Northern California. A jury of three professionals from the Bay Area and Sacramento arts community selected 122 pieces to showcase. The Gala Reception and Awards night already passed, but there is still plenty of opportunity to view the art!

Art Explosion Gallery
821 Texas Street
Fairfield, CA
Hours: Wednesday - Sunday; 11am - 5pm

Fairfield Center Gallery
1035 West Texas Street
Fairfield, CA 94534
Hours: Thursday - Saturday; 11am - 4pm


Upcoming Events

Art on the Vine (AOV) - June 5,6, 2010
Always held the first  weekend in June and open to the public, this spring art festival features original visual art and sculpture pieces from local and surrounding Bay Area artists. Spend a sunny day viewing art, nibbling on delicious food, tasting award-winning wine of Wooden Valley Winery, and enjoying live music. Festival is free to the public.

Napa has a rich history of supporting the arts and now from the Opera House to the Hess Collection, from public art installations to downtown gallery owners, Napa is fast becoming an art lover's destination. The many active studio artists in Napa are adding to the mix with their annual Open Studios self-guided tour organized by Arts Council Napa Valley.

Linda Cordair of Quent Cordair Gallery on First Street has been very happy with her move to Napa. Quent Cordair Gallery opened on July 4, 2008 after 13 years in Burlingame. The gallery specializes in "Romantic Realism" and has a very strong web presence. Ms. Cordair has found that moving to Napa has given her clientele a great excuse to travel here for their art-buying, particularly as Cordair has conveniently partnered with local hotels. "This is a world class destination more exciting for our clients to visit. They travel from as far away as Switzerland, New Zealand and China for our collections and with the completion of the River Front project we can really see a positive direction for downtown Napa. We want to do all we can to help fill the empty storefronts and bring more galleries here."

Long time public art champion, Harry Price, managing partner of CDI, developer of the Napa River Inn project and Napa Square on First Street, has this to say about the role of art in the community, "Art is an integral component of civilizations; we look back to them and look at what type of art they created. It is a measure of civilization and culture, so we honor our own culture by the art we leave behind."

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