West County artists are hoping for sunshine as Art at the Source
heads into its second weekend.
The weather wrought havoc on the first weekend of the show,
where 153 professional artists opened their studios to the public —
although some only attempted to — in the pouring rain.
Art at the Source is a major selling opportunity for
participating artists, who have been preparing their studios since
December for the two-weekend event.
“It’s been wild, from one end of the spectrum to the other,”
Linda Galletta, executive director of the Sebastopol Center for the
Arts said Monday. “Last week, Thursday and Friday, the artists were
absolutely scrambling to find shelter. Many of them had plans to
display outdoors and had to cancel those plans and turn their
living rooms, kitchens and garages into gallery space,” she said,
noting some artists amazingly had lots of traffic — especially
those that scheduled specific times to demonstrate their craft —
but others said the weather really impacted the number of visitors
that came to see them.
“The sun is on its way and I have my fingers crossed. They are
once again regrouping and I am not sure how many of them will go
back to plan A — their indoor and outdoor setup — and how many will
stay with plan B — an all indoor setup,” Galletta said. “It’s a lot
of work to move displays and artwork. Many of them also have
full-time jobs during the week, or they are teaching, or working to
create more art, so it’s an exhausting process.”
The Sebastopol Center for the Arts is serving as an information
center for artists to share advice with each other via e-mail and
Facebook postings.
A seven-day forecast from the National Weather Service predicts
clear skies over Sebastopol before the weekend hits, with high
daytime temperatures near 71 on Saturday, and high daytime
temperatures near 68 on Sunday.
“Many of the artists served Hot Toddies and hot cider last
weekend and this weekend we are going to Sangria and sparkling
water,” Galletta said.
Sebastopol Center for the Arts sponsors this annual self-guided
tour, now in its 17th year. Painters, sculptors, photographers,
potters, jewelers, fiber, wood and glass artists showcase the best
of their works in the popular event.
For a dry spot to preview work from each artist the Center’s
gallery is holding a preview exhibit from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday
through June 12.
The Sebastopol Center for the Arts is located at 6780 Depot St.,
Sebastopol. For more information and a catalog with complete
listings and maps to studios, visit www.artatthesource.org. Also
see the special insert in this week’s newspaper.
Laura McCutcheon can be reached at
la***@so********.com
.
