Editor’s note: This is part of the annual Pride section. This year’s theme is “Made in Hollister”.
San Benito County has a thriving community of artists who are becoming ever more visible as local arts organizations work to increase awareness of the scene. The San Benito Arts Council continues to actively promote many different kinds of arts in the community while the Hollister Art League and the Aromas Hills Artisans support visual artists, ranging from painters to potters. In addition to special events coordinated by the nonprofit groups such as the upcoming Open Studios Tour in June, a growing number of venues are offering space for artists to display their work for sale year-round.
Zen Art Gallery Plus
When Ruth Marion Saunders first saw the space at 404 Third St. in San Juan with its shoe box shape, she immediately pictured an art gallery there. Though the spot has limited floor space for a retail business, the ample wall space made it perfect for hanging pieces created by local artists.
Saunders, a lifelong artist herself who creates pieces in a contemporary style with bold colors and patterns, said she quickly found a long list of artists who wanted to show their pieces in the Zen Art Gallery Plus (See related profile of Saunders and a featured artist on A1 of today’s Free Lance.) She began improvements on the space in November, opening her doors in January.
“The subject matter ranges from traditional to abstract, with some very large, contemporary and geometric pieces,” she said.
Some of the local artists who have pieces on display include Gayle Sleznick, Bob Wilkinson, Louise Roy, Norm Scott, and even a high school student whose high-caliber pastel pieces caught Saunders’ eye.
“We have some work here that is just top quality,” she said.
Saunders allows the artists to set the price for each piece. She charges a 25 percent commission, relatively lower than other regional galleries. The artists sign a contract to keep the pieces in the gallery for up to 90 days and then they have the option to swap unsold pieces for other artworks.
“I tell each artist I don’t care if they charge a penny or a $1 million,” she said. “It’s up to them.”
In creating her gallery space, she wanted to make it welcoming and comforting. The walls are painted a light blue and she has two comfortable arm chairs in one corner for visitors who want to sit down for a chat with her.
“I went to a lot of galleries in San Francisco,” she said. “I’ve been a resident of the South Bay all my life and I was always at some art exhibit or museums even as a youngster. I’ve made mental notes of what I didn’t want more so than what I did want. I eliminated the austere, cold feel a lot of the galleries had.”
Saunders said she has some high-quality digital prints for sale – for people who come in who might want something more affordable than an original art piece. But one of the key ways she plans to make the gallery sustainable is by soliciting corporate buyers who may be interested in large pieces that are more expensive. While she considers herself an artist, she has plenty of experience in public relations and marketing that is helping her with the business side of running the gallery.
“The type of client the gallery needs to be successful is one I need to solicit,” she said. “I’ve written a lot of letters to corporate offices to the division that procures art.”
Blak Sage Gallery
In downtown Hollister, the San Benito Arts Council took over the Blak Sage Gallery so that it would not have to turn a profit to stay open. The board members of the council and Executive Director Jennifer Laine have been working hard to make the space an integral part of the community. The Arts Council has been hosting First Friday events that often coincide with an artists’ reception, with a wine or food tasting, along with music. One recent event featured a tasting of locally made olive oils and balsamic vinegars while visitors perused the artwork on display in the “Materiality” exhibit.
In addition to the art exhibits, the council created a series of activities that drew in preschool students and their parents to learn about art. They held art classes at the gallery, where kids learned about art and created their own art, which was later displayed in the gallery for a one-weekend show.
“We thought it would be cool to see kids’ art in a professional, fine-art gallery,” said Laine, of the show sponsored when the show was up in November by the Community Foundation for San Benito County, the California Arts Council and the Hollister Rotary Club. “We can see it on a nice, white wall in a contemporary gallery and it makes it extra special for the kids. It is a way we can demonstrate the value of art and creative learning to kids and parents.”
In an effort to reach out to families with small children, the gallery staff members also hosted a “mommy and me” and a “daddy and me” event where the preschool children created art at the gallery. They served cocoa, cookies and tea to the families.
“We saw some new faces in the gallery, and that is always a good thing,” Laine said. “We wanted to dispel the preconceived notion about galleries being intimidating places to be. We are trying to get them into the gallery to make it a friendly, open and family-oriented kind of place.”
The current show at the gallery features the work of San Benito High School art students and will be on display through April 21, with an artists’ reception on April 13 from 3 to 6 p.m. The Art 105 show features work created by students in teacher John Robrock’s advanced placement art class.
There are, of course, more galleries in San Benito County so art enthusiasts are encouraged to get in touch with one of the local art groups to find out about more places to view and purchase local pieces.
