Director’s Statement

As we began reaching out to Emeryville artists this summer with our Call to Entry, I noticed that there had been a bit of attrition in our arts community over the past 18 months. Several have moved to points north, south, and east, a phenomenon that is happening all over the country as so many have had some down-time to reflect on, as one artist said to me, “where is home?”. From my perspective, what a thoughtful way to characterize this movement ... maybe closer to family, closer to nature, closer to a slower pace. Most though still call Emeryville home and we are excited to have new names with fresh work joining us for the 35th.

As always, gratitude to our Board members Ken Schmier, Frances Gaston, Linda Lee Boyd, Kava Massih, Pam Mendelsohn, and Albert Repola; all pitching in, each with their individual strong suits, and to Committee members Gwen Souza and Kelly Grace. So much great work goes on behind the scenes to coordinate our annual event. Pam and Linda with volunteer activities; Frances, Gwen, and Linda on opening night, and Linda again with our website programming and hundreds of on-line communiques to artists and visitors alike.

Curator Kathleen Hanna had her work cut out for her this year with over 200 artworks in the show (212 to be exact) but with her decades of curatorial experience she welcomed the demanding task. Publicist Genevieve Antaky always finds a fresh perspective to weave our story. Suzanne Anderson-Carey’s design brought us whimsy and cheer in what has been a pretty gray time for us all. Thank you to these professionals who all brought us their A-game.

A beautiful evening in Peladeau Park/Emeryville Greenway and the hospitality of Nasser Azimi’s Café Rack provided a memorable experience to welcome us back for our traditional volunteer kick-off event this September. Sadly, missed was Joe Pugliese who charmed us all for years with his wit and remarkable calligraphy. From artwork installation assistance to opening night bar tenders and a month’s worth of gallery sitters, volunteers are the backbone of the exhibition. They are our essential workers. 

An enormous thank you to Bay St Emeryville’s CenterCal Properties, LLC for the donation of our exhibition space at 5690. President-Pacific NW and Bay Area Craig Ramey, General Manager Izamar Hernandez Hook, Marketing’s Christa Williams and Valerie Gibbins, and Orlando Burch Operations Manager have all been generously supportive of our efforts to bring you a real-time exhibition this year. 

Thank you to Emeryville City Council members for your continued support of Emeryville Celebration of the Arts and to City Manager Christine Daniel, Economic Development’s Chad Smalley and Amber Evans, to Sheri Hartz, and Analisa Garcia, and always to Kivu Jamal Hudson Public Works Supervisor.

We were thrown a curve ball, weren’t we all, with the Delta Variant but with our 14,000 square feet space and masks for all, we are now culturally and communally connected again through the arts. We look forward to welcoming you to the 35th Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition.

Sharon Wilchar

Credits

Emeryville City Council
Mayor Dianne Martinez
Vice-Mayor Scott Donahue
Council Member John J. Bauters
Council Member Ally Medina

Emeryville Celebration of the Arts Board of Directors
Ken Schmier, Chair
Frances Gaston, Vice Chair
Linda Lee Boyd
Kava Massih
Pam Mendelsohn
Albert Repola

Director & Project Coordinator
Sharon Wilchar

Art Exhibition Operating Committee
Linda Lee Boyd
Frances Gaston
Kelly Grace
Kava Massih
Pam Mendelsohn
Albert Repola
Ken Schmier
Gwen Souza

Director & Project Coordinator: Sharon Wilchar
Curator: Kathleen Hanna
Publicist: Genevieve Antaky
Graphics & Website Design: Suzanne Anderson-Carey
Website Programming: Linda Lee Boyd
Youth Programming: Theresa Muñoz
Printing: Autumn Press