October First Friday Art Walk

ART WALK: emphasis on ART and WALK. Ukiah is a very walkable town.

Join artists and their hosts for an evening of art and music as you stroll from one venue to the next; each showcasing local art and artistry. Held in Historic Downtown Ukiah on the first Friday of each month, the First Friday Art Walk is the perfect way to relax your body, mind and soul. This enjoyable evening begins at 5:00 p.m. and promises to delight your senses; all while enjoying the company of others. For more information contact (707) 391-3664 Bona 116 W Standley Street 
Bona Market Place featured artist for October and November is Leah Tydings. A local artist that has a myriad of art techniques including felting. A mixture of her art will be on hand that feature “Birth Images” that she has created.  Also featured will be local Midwife Lisa Rawson and her assistant Emma Wilcox that specialize in “Home Birth”.  Both will share their passion for Women’s Health and Well Being.Join us for this unique showing October 1st.and November 5th. from 5-8 pm.  

Ukiah Valley Networking Agency 104 N School StreetUkiah artist Janet Rosen presents a selection of portraits made during the past year and a half. She explains: When the pandemic closed everything down in March 2020, I had just completed and hung a major painting project, Conversing With The Dead, at Ukiah Valley Networking Agency and had a First Friday Artwalk reception. Like so many people, suddenly I was sheltering in place, with no idea of how long it might be or what to do with myself. Within a month, friends mentioned an April 30 Faces/30 Days drawing challenge created by a site called Sktchy. I enrolled and completed the course. Then I did another… and another… And now my practice continues. During a time of only seeing people masked, how wonderful to spend time with an array of human faces from around the world! My refuge and creative outlet has been this ongoing series of soft, expressive portraits from an online community of fellow artists – peers, some of whom have become my creative muses.

Alex Thomas PlazaJoin us for the first outdoor exhibit at Alex Thomas Plaza from 5-7pm at this coming Art Walk.  This art series of 6 paintings by Annie Rugyt reflect the changes we all experienced last year- grief, loss, upheaval.  But with change comes an opportunity to gain new insight.  You’ll be asked to reflect and share your own experience, as we celebrate our community and enjoy live acoustic music at this opening.  Alex Thomas plaza’s new outdoor gallery will be a place for emerging artists in Ukiah and is open to all artists.  

Grace Hudson Museum 431 S Main St On Friday, October 1st, from 5 to 8 p.m., Grace Hudson Museum will be open for First Friday Art Walk, with an opening reception for Selected Works from Tom Liden and Mac Magruder. On display in the Museum’s Public Room, this pop-up exhibit expands on the current exhibition in the main gallery: 30 Years On: Liden, Magruder & Knight, a retrospective of the work of three Mendocino County artists (the third being the late Wayne Knight) since their first group exhibit at the Grace Hudson Museum in 1991.Mac Magruder’s sculptures provide provocative social commentary leavened by a bracing dash of humor. They often feature figures in uncomfortable postures or making awkward gestures. Human existence at its stress point is portrayed, in evocative assemblages that capture life in Mendocino County–something well known for Magruder, a Potter Valley native and cattle and sheep rancher.Tom Liden’s photography spans a wide range of subject matter and formal approaches, from subtle black and white images to his “Tribute to Red series,” which features close-ups of glassware, house exteriors, and other objects bearing rich shades of red. A well-known commercial photographer in Ukiah, he is lately focusing on his fine art, including his collection of colored glass.Selected Works from Tom Liden and Mac Magruder will be on display from Sept. 29 to Oct. 17. Please visit the Museum website at www.gracehudsonmuseum.org for hours and admission fees. (First Fridays are always free.) Several other events are planned to accompany the main exhibit, 30 Years On, including a members-only reception on Oct. 2 and an in-person exhibition tour with Liden and Magruder on Oct. 16. A pop-up exhibit of the work of portrait painter Wayne Knight, who died in 2009, will be on display in November.The Grace Hudson Museum is at 431 S. Main St. in Ukiah. For more information, visit the website or call (707) 467-2836
Art Center & Corner Gallery 201 S State StThe Corner Gallery and Art Center Ukiah are opening three brand new exhibits for the month of October:The Corner Gallery is featuring oil painter Polly Palecek in both of the front windows, with a varied and eclectic retrospective of portraits, landscapes and still lifes.  On the Young Artist Wall in the Gallery will be vibrant and evocative paper collages by Fort Bragg artist Allison Tuomala. Art Center Ukiah (in the back of the Corner Gallery) is proud to feature “Wild and Wooly,” an exuberant combination of fine art made with wool and information about Mendocino Wool and Fiber, a local resource for spinning and weaving fine Mendocino County fleeces.