Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Open Arts ( Studios) memories

This time of the year has so many visions and vivid pictures for me. I remember the first opening of Marin Open Studios seventeen years ago when Tim Rose and I walked the Gallery that we opened in Towncenter Corte Madera together. There was a light mist and we feared it would keep people away. The party was about to start, and despite all the months of hard work and difficulties, Marin County would now begin to see the amazing work of the artists around them. This was our dream as founders of the event. We were thrilled.
Last weekend, the Marin Art Council staff and Director Argo Thompson repeated this tradition. In the new permanent Art Council headquarters at 906 Fourth Street, the lights are blazing, shining on Art that continues to showcase the talents of Marin artists. The quality is so much higher than it was, artists continue to see one another's work and the bar is raised. Kudos and gratitude to Argo for bringing us to the mainstreet! Now the work shifts to the studios, where the party continues and it is time for real art viewing. This year over two weekends the community can see art where it is made. Children can meet the artists. It means that we share our Creativity and it finds way to your table, your living room, your office. Marin Open Studios directly means that the artists in your town are able to make a living and continue creating. Thank you all for coming out, for supporting us all these years! We thrive because of you. Grab a catalogue, find a favorite artwork, and come say hi. Drink it in, because, as Kim said to me about placing my painting in the catalogue, "This is where I live."