ONE YEAR, 8 EXHIBITS
Medium Gallery in Ukiah to celebrate anniversary
It took nearly five years to come to fruition, but this week, a small group of Ukiah artists and community members have a lot to celebrate.
On First Friday, July 1, the Deep Valley Arts Collective — founders and creators of the Medium Art Gallery — will be celebrating their first anniversary.
The gallery and non-profit collective board members — Meredith Hudson, Lillian Rubie, Olivia Consterdine and Chris Pugh — invite the public to celebrate the gallery's success with cupcakes, music by DJ Certone, a “Make Your Own Punk Patch” community art station and viewing the gallery's latest exhibition: “Encounter Culture” — a no-boundaries dive into street art, graffiti, and a variety of art subculture genres.
What started as informal chats at Black Oak Coffee Roasters morphed into the creation of a 501(c)3 non-profit. The timing coincided with an invitation from the Pear Tree Shopping Center, which approached the Arts Council of Mendocino County, seeking a group to fill the former Radio Shack location. The collective was selected, to their great appreciation.
“There was a lot of sweat equity involved in turning the space into a gallery,” notes Vicepresident Chris Pugh. The board members have logged thousands of all-volunteer hours to create the gallery, publicize events, administer the organization, jury submitted art, hang shows and staff the gallery. Today, new flooring, lighting, and lots of pristine wall space allowed the group to cut their teeth and demonstrate their prowess as non-profit managers and gallery operators.
Medium's first show took place during lockdown, and was entitled, “Dear America,” received with great enthusiasm. Each subsequent show has focused on unique thematic elements.
“When we first formed, we couldn't find our artistic inspirations in this region. We wanted to exhibit art we'd have to travel to the Bay Area to experience. We are excited and overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of talented, creative people living right here in our community, and also appreciative that we have received submissions from as far away as Oklahoma and Texas, as well as all parts
of California,” says Board President Lillian Rubie.
Every show curated by the board has been a group, juried show, with just one exception: a one-woman show featuring beloved Ukiah-based artist and educator Adele Pruitt. The group's decision to honor Pruitt was prescient, as she passed away at the age of 99, just weeks after this show.
“It was certainly a bittersweet experience when we heard Adele had passed,” notes Pugh. “The show was very successful and at that time was the most attended, even though no one realized this would be her last exhibit. We were very grateful we were in the position to facilitate a great tribute to an amazing artist and teacher who impacted so many people in her lifetime.”
To date, the gallery has supported 254 individual artists, 132 of which were youth. One of the most important tenets of the organizational mission is that artists do not pay commissions to exhibit their work.
“When we first opened, we were contacted by an abundance of artists asking how to get involved. The need and the want to show work was out there, but there were no venues like this,” says Pugh.
“To date, the collective has paid artists $17,000 in commission-free sales,” notes Board Secretary/ Treasurer Meredith Hudson. All collected fees are returned to the artists, who set their own prices.
“One of the most rewarding aspects of what we do is watching the public come in and display interest in buying art — some for the first time. And for artists who have never been shown before, they are overjoyed that someone appreciates their work,” says Pugh.
“Many artists get discouraged with the gallery scene. It's not unusual for galleries to take commissions of 40 percent or more,” says Hudson.
“I was regularly turned away from the professional art scene,” says Rubie. “My education was funded by scholarships, and because of the kind of art I make, I didn't have a consistent body of work to submit to galleries. You have to pay to play, and I couldn't afford submission. Part of our mission is creating a level playing field, so that everyone has the same access to this gallery. I don't think all artwork has to be marketable. It should speak to the viewer and be compelling. We're not identifying ourselves as just a retail outlet focused on sales.”
“Encouragement is a big part of what we do,” Rubie continues. “We've had artists submit work who got dragged here by their friends. At our youth show, we have a piece that so shocked one of our visitors, he was openly weeping. He couldn't believe the work was done by a child. It was priced at $25. He said, `I cannot believe a child made this. I'd like to pay $100 for it,' which he did.”
“We create a culture of inclusivity. It's easy to look at art with a face value, but we look at work with an added layer of potential: How can we support artists? How do we encourage them to create a larger body of work?” says Hudson.
The board members are gallery jurors, and thus far have received praise for their sensitivity and their “eye” for diverse, thoughtful, professional and interesting exhibits.
“We make a point to cover all the mediums — to be inclusive of art forms and pieces that shirk the medium norm — work that may not fall into a specific genre,” says Hudson. “We're looking at art and artists in a non-categorical way, basing our shows on what's compelling, rather than basing our shows on what's the most monetizing.”
“One of our focuses has been bringing in new artists and new work to the area that hasn't been seen before,” says board member Olivia Consterdine.
“These people are mostly local. They're artists who don't worry about whether their art is sellable or marketable. Many of them give away their work as gifts. A few are secretly successful making a living online, but don't necessarily market themselves locally,” says Pugh. Artists walk into the gallery, and also connect via email, Instagram, through friends or someone who thinks their art would be a good fit.
“Participating artists who need it receive guidance on how to present their work in a professional manner,” says Rubie. “Meredith has helped cut mats for artists and in the future, we hope to offer more instruction.”
Every exhibit has an interactive, community art component, which has created excellent community engagement, according to Pugh.
“Two Latino gentlemen came in, saw our community drawing table and asked if they could draw. They were here for about an hour- and-a-half. They didn't speak English and I didn't speak Spanish. They pulled out their phone and used a translation app to ask all kinds of questions about the gallery. It was really great,” says Pugh.
“I love having an interactive art component at every show. People can immediately immerse themselves and have their own experience. For some, I hope a door gets opened, where they might think, `If I can do this in a public space, I could do this at home,'” says Hudson.
“A couple came to our community collage event. They were on a date night and stayed for about an hour. They had so much fun, they didn't want to leave,” smiles Pugh.
The gallery is just the first part of the organization's mission, according to Hudson.
“With the gallery, we've established ourselves and our proof of concept. The next step is going to be a vertical one,” she says. “We want to expand our hours to attract more visitors to help support artists through sales.”
Though the Pear Tree Center location has been a fantastic jumping-off place, the gallery site is not suitable for the organization's future plans.
“Our long-term vision is creating a hub — offering workshops, lectures, classes and studio space for artists to work in. We would also like to be a resource where people come to learn from really skilled people and see amazing artwork,” says Rubie.
“We've got some traction and we know where we're headed. Our hope is that we'll receive a donation of the perfect spot, in a central location at a minimal cost — a permanent location so we can manifest our longrange plans,” says Rubie.
Hudson emphasizes no one receives a salary, and the gallery is run completely through community generosity. “We are grateful for all the support we've received this year. Donations from the community continue to be our primary funding source, and we appreciate donations of any amount.”
The First Friday celebration takes place from 5 p.m. “until we're ready to go home,” Pugh says. The gallery is located at 522 E. Perkins St. in the Pear Tree Shopping Center. Gallery hours are Fridays from noon-8 p.m., Saturdays from noon-6 p.m., and Sundays from noon-4 p.m.
For more information, visit the collective's Facebook and Instagram pages or the website at www.deepvalleyarts.org.