Flowers, Fauna, and the Art of Community
By Jim Christians
May the Fourth be with you. Take a walk from the Queen Bean, headquarters of Modesto Artist Movement, and celebrate Star Wars by viewing the mural at Never Boring Design on 14th Street, and get a dose of Darth Vader. Continue to J Street, and turn right, head toward the historic State Theatre, and check in on the Stanislaus Arts Council gallery show “Fragments of the Mind: The Healing Power of Creativity. The Stan Arts Gallery hours have changed to 3 days a week. Thursday noon to 6 PM, Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 8 PM.
Continue down Street, and cross at 13th, and drop in Dragonfly Art for Life, a fixture on Art Walk, and open for classes and events. Art Walk is scheduled for May 15. April featured 30 artists, including Modesto Junior College art students, Livingston High School art club, and several artists new to the Third Thursday event.
The Brick, a gallery located on Geer Road in Turlock, will open its Summer Art Exhibition with a reception on May 1 from 6 to 9 PM. The show runs through June and July. The Carnegie Arts Center’s Spring Garden Party is on Friday, May 9th. Tickets are $85. Event raising funds for Youth and the Arts. May 10, Carnegie hosts its next Animated Film Series, with a 2 PM showing of “Turning Red.” The art center hosts various exhibitions year-round in the lobby and Ferrari galleries, as well as classes such as the May 17 Still Life Oil Painting. Call for Artists at the Carnegie Annual Showcase is May 31. www.carnegieartsturlock.org
California Native Flora and Fauna is an open call to artists through Smarter Entry, with a submission deadline of May 10. The theme is the diversity, beauty, and significance of California native plants and animals. I saw several works for this one at the April Art Walk. Contact www.stanislausarts.org for more information.
June 14, Art on the Virginia Corridor at Roseburg Square. To apply, contact Suzann McCaslin at 209-968-2353. The Deadline for artists to apply is May 30. Spaces are limited. For the walking and art patron public, the event is free to view and attend
Over on Tully Road, the Kruse Lucas Imports gallery features artist Rhett Owings in the final month of her solo show. Kruse Lucas is across from the MJC Gallery, and The Silos. I attended the Crickets Hope fundraiser and had the opportunity to see the permanent gallery display. The Silos will be site of the Stanislaus Arts Council “Celebration of the Arts” June 14. Fundraiser tickets are $150 with table and sponsor reservations available at www.stanarts.org
Great weather last month for the Stanislaus Artist Open Studio, and there is interest in doing it again in the Fall. The dates, currently being considered for late September or October, are yet to be confirmed by the Open Studio Committee so that I will follow up on this next month. This month, I will be showcasing
art and performing on the stage and at festival venues at the Riverdance Pick and Gather. We do have applications open for vendors and artists. If interested, let me know at jdc104@yahoo.com or contact Cindy Lashbrook at riverdancefarms@gmail.com or see website www.riverdancefarms.com
Will sadly note the passing of local artist Andrew Walther on April 6. Andrew grew up in the Wood Colony area, and I was asked to help with his final show, which took place in early March at Hart Ransom Elementary School. A show based on his Covid Creations, which was quite successful and fun for both the artist and the students.
