Past and present members of the Lafayette Gallery reunite at an exhibit of their works on display at the
Orinda Library through September Photo Ohlen Alexander.
The Lafayette Gallery is celebrating ten years in the making with a special joint exhibition of work by past and present members at the Orinda Library through the end of the month and a unique anniversary exhibit on display at the Gallery through October 10th.
The Lafayette Gallery, a co-op of artists, was the brainchild of Kathy DeForest and Judy Miller. In the late spring of 1999, the Gallery's current space, a cottage on Lafayette Circle, had come available and artists were invited to become members of this novel art community recalls Linda Yoshizawa, a founding member. "I think the first twenty artists who came to the start-up meeting with a $200 check defined the original membership," says Yoshizawa with a laugh. "It was initially a lot of work to get the gallery up and running," she adds describing the effort that went into cleaning up the space, adding lighting, and building pedestals and systems to display the art. The Gallery opened its doors in September of that year for the Lafayette Art and Wine Festival and those doors have remained open and inviting to the public for the past decade.
"I'm sure that [the Gallery] has worked over these ten years because we are always revising to make sure that every member feels a part of this art community," says Yoshizawa.
The Gallery puts on a new exhibit every six to eight weeks, which provides a strong incentive for artists to produce new works, explains Yoshizawa. "It's not just about selling your work. It's about having a place to exhibit and get feedback," she says. Plus every member takes a monthly shift in staffing the Gallery and is responsible for some aspect of the operation. "We actually have 23 jobs. Everyone is active," she adds.
The Gallery currently has 23 members and includes artists who work in a wide variety of media including printmaking, watercolor, collage, ceramics, acrylics, glass, photography, silk painting, and jewelry. The anniversary exhibit at the Gallery features an older and newer work by each of the members. "So you can see how we have grown," states Yoshizawa.
Several members have moved on to other venues and others have just moved away, but a core group of original members remains, which in addition to Yoshizawa includes Judy Miller, Susan Erickson, Jill Landau, Maggie Lucas-Hill, and Pat Prosek. Remarkably the Orinda Gallery joint exhibit features work by 22 past members who have shipped work in for the exhibit from Nevada, Oregon, and as far as Boston along with all of the current members of the Gallery.
"The fact that we have lasted this long, even in these tough economic times, shows that we need to have art," says Yoshizawa.
The Lafayette Gallery, a co-op of artists, was the brainchild of Kathy DeForest and Judy Miller. In the late spring of 1999, the Gallery's current space, a cottage on Lafayette Circle, had come available and artists were invited to become members of this novel art community recalls Linda Yoshizawa, a founding member. "I think the first twenty artists who came to the start-up meeting with a $200 check defined the original membership," says Yoshizawa with a laugh. "It was initially a lot of work to get the gallery up and running," she adds describing the effort that went into cleaning up the space, adding lighting, and building pedestals and systems to display the art. The Gallery opened its doors in September of that year for the Lafayette Art and Wine Festival and those doors have remained open and inviting to the public for the past decade.
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA