WCA January 2021 exhibit

The Willits Center for the Arts presents Fabric Baskets by Rosie Saxe and Paintings by Mariangela La Thanh: Mariangela Le Thanh is a Vietnamese artist now based in Bell Springs, in northern Mendocino County. As a child of diaspora, they were born and grew up in Italy and then migrated to California: Their work often reflects on those intrusive feelings of not quite belonging, not deserving to belong somewhere, and the anxieties of fitting in undetected in white dominated spaces. They cement their presence into paintings as a way to accept, remember and celebrate who they are, where and when they are; hoping to connect to fellow humans who feel similarly. These paintings take inspiration from their surroundings, from personal but relatable drama, and from the scary questions we all ask ourselves: Where are we headed, what’s the meaning of our short, but sometimes fun, lives?!”

Rosie Saxe lives in Briceland, a tiny hamlet in Southern Humboldt with her husband, teenage daughter, a dog and four cats. She and her husband own and operate a small family winery and work to raise their own vegetables and livestock. She grew up in Upstate New York and earned her BFA from Syracuse University in Fiber Arts. She told us about her relationship with fabric baskets. “I gravitated to coiling basketry because I can do it anywhere and with any material. While I am weaving I like to think about all the people, in all the villages, in so many cultures, that are coiling and weaving and making just like me. We are all connected.”

The show runs through Jan 31. Also, The Willits Photography Club has a spectacular show in the Great Room.

The Willits Center for the Arts is located at 71 E. Commercial St., next door to the Noyo Theater. The galleries are open weekends, Friday through Sundays between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Masks are mandatory and only six people will be permitted in the galleries at one time.