Coast Highway Art Collective Celebrates 8 Years
The Coast Highway Art Collective celebrates its 8th anniversary this month. Unfortunately, due to recent events, the monthly opening reception has been cancelled. However, the collective is still a vibrant group, and its members are using this time in a creative explosion of new work. The gallery is home to the range and diversity of the collective members and a celebration of community involvement, a founding ideal of the group. The members thank the entire Mendonoma community for their support over the years.
Located in a small, historical building built in the early 1900s, the gallery is in the heart of Point Arena. The collective was founded in 2012 by a group of local artists who wanted the help reinvigorate Point Arena, which was undergoing a kind of renewal after years of boom and bust.
The building has a very interesting history. Local book publisher, the late Warren Jones, purchased the building in a state of disrepair, having no idea how to use it other than improving his beloved City of Point Arena. A group of artists suggested an art gallery and he embraced the idea. Volunteers rebuilt the building and called the gallery CityArt. The interior was completed in 1997, and was active as the creative and vibrant CityArt Gallery for ten years. The gallery closed in 2007 and the building sat empty, waiting patiently for a new life.
Then, in 2012, the idea of the gallery was resurrected and Barbara Fast, a renaissance woman in her own right (former pediatric surgeon, artist and musician) became the founder and first manager of the newly minted Coast Highway Art Collective. The artists who work to make this collective succeed are just as eclectic and quirky as the building they inhabit.
Currently there are 21 artists exhibiting at the gallery, including new members who formally showed at the Dolphin Gallery in Gualala. Work ranges from oils and watercolors, photography, glass, jewelry, textiles, woodworking including birdhouses and ceramics. With so many creative outlooks among this diverse group, one thing all agree on is the importance of the gallery as a place to display and sell their work, and the amazing sense of community and nurturing each member experiences.
Founding member Ling-Yen Jones says “I am using this time to create new items I have wanted to do but never had the time to create. I am working on a little ocean rock line. Collective members are sharing their new works in “inspiration” emails to the group, continuing to inspire each other. Some of my work is posted there, while others are on my online Etsy site. https://www.etsy.com/shop/LingYenDesigns.
Member John Stickney explains it this way “The collective is a place where the pressures are low and the friendliness is high. The CHAC is a place where they can show their art and where you can find interesting art in an engaging environment. Everyone pitches in, so the overhead is low, and the prices are very reasonable.”
Original member Bea Acosta says “The gallery has provided me with a venue to show my work and a camaraderie of local artists who support each other.” Another original member, Brenda Phillips, noted “I love having the gallery as a place I can show my latest inspirations. For years now, the gallery has been a wonderful showroom for my art.
The gallery often has guest artists in addition to the collective members. Monthly opening receptions for featured artists often include tasty food, drinks and live music in the garden when the weather cooperates.
The gallery participates in the annual Almost Fringe Festival, a fun event where artists are encouraged to let their imagination run wild and create from the heart, not from the wallet. The gallery opens its doors for the Point Arena’s annual Hometown Holidays, a special night when Main Streets fills up with holiday shoppers and revelers. The gallery lights up with a holiday tree decorated with handmade ornaments made by collective members. Members also participate in shows at the White Cap Café in Anchor Bay and displays work at the library and the Post Office in Point Arena.
The Coast Highway Art Collective is located at 284 Main Street in Point Arena. Currently, the gallery is closed due to COVID19, but appointments are welcome and an individual tour is available. Call Ling-Yen Jones at 707-884-9153 to make arrangements. When the gallery reopens, the winter hours are from 11:00am to 4:00pm, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, or by appointment. Summer hours are typically from 11:00am to 5:00pm.
