The Center for the Arts is preparing to unveil the second fine art exhibit in the newly remodeled Granucci Gallery, featuring paintings by Erin Noel. A visual artist and attorney who lives and works in the rural Sierra Nevada mountains of California, Noel’s work concerns our relationship to our environment, how we shape what surrounds us and how it shapes who we are and how we think. These subjects seem to be intensified by the current pandemic, and the artist and The Center are working together to provide a safe space for people to appreciate the large scale paintings on display.
The opening reception, which will be held Friday, July 31st from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. is by appointment only. Anyone interested in attending the event and meeting the artist should visit thecenterforthearts.org to reserve a time. Time slots are 30 minutes and can accommodate up to 10 guests.
Another opportunity to meet the artist is available on Thursday, August 20 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. as a part of The Center’s Third Thursday series. This event has also been modified with public safety in mind and will feature a one way walk through of the gallery exhibit followed by a Q&A session outside in the parking lot. Third Thursday is first-come, first-served. One at a time, each party will enter through the front door, view the gallery and then proceed through the new theater to the back parking lot where the artist will be available for questions.
When asked to describe the exhibit, Erin Noel provided the following Artist Statement: The landscape, our personal experience, and our society is subject to intense compartmentalization and segmentation over time, at least in the culture in which we find ourselves. This show represents a variety of explorations of that reality. From explorations of segmented landscapes to internal compartmentalization, these visual explorations reveal something about who we are. Making these works outside on the porch in the stillness of a COVID spring, or inside on the dining room table in the dead of winter, entails an unfolding and increased awareness of just how tangled we and our landscape have become. This show is an expression of that unfolding.
The exhibit will run from Tuesday, July 28, through Friday, August 21. Gallery hours are from noon to 4:00 p.m. Visitors are advised to email gallery@thecenterforthearts.org to reserve private time in the gallery. Walk-in visitors will be welcomed if there is no one scheduled at that time. “We want everyone to feel comfortable coming to see art in the gallery. By making an appointment, you won’t have to share the space with people outside your household,” says Executive Director, Amber Jo Manuel. Masks are required and social distancing is a must for anyone not in the same household. The Center has one-time use masks and hand sanitizer on hand for visitors.
