MARIPOSA – The Mariposa County Arts Council invites the public to the opening of both Ann Harris: Celebrating a Life’s Work and Stories and Sequences: Images from F/STOP at the Treetop Gallery on May 3 from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
Ann Harris: Celebrating a Life’s Work is a retrospective exhibition exploring the rich body of work created by Ann Harris between the 1940s-2017.
A teacher and educator by profession, Ms. Harris was also an artist her entire life.
Her colorful and lively watercolor pieces fall into three categories: landscapes (primarily the Sierra Nevada and California Coast), mid-century styled abstracts, and native wildflower illustrations.
Over the course of her life, Ms. Harris exhibited her work extensively in both Riverside and Santa Cruz County, and was represented by galleries in Aptos, Capitola, Santa Cruz and Carmel. She and husband Tom collaborated on the creation of porcelain ceramics, which they displayed and sold at Kit Carson Lodge for many years. Tom made cups, vases and bowls which Ann decorated with native wildflowers. She was a member of Yosemite Western Artists of Oakhurst and the Arts Council’s own Treetop Gallery.
Her work was displayed in three Yosemite Renaissance Exhibitions, and two Sierra Art Trails open studio tours. She was a participant in the Yosemite Art & Wine Festival for several years, where her hand painted ceramic cups were always a popular item, and she won numerous blue ribbons at the Mariposa County Fair.
On Sept. 8, 2017, Ms. Harris passed away and this exhibition is an opportunity for the Arts Council and community to honor her and all the vibrancy she brought to the visual arts in Mariposa.
The Harris family has donated Ms. Harris’ entire collection to the Arts Council and all proceeds from the exhibition will benefit the Treetop Gallery and the Arts Council’s visual arts programs for children (Artists in the Schools and SITE+VISION). A silent auction will be held for all Ms. Harris’ displayed work (both framed and unframed) during the reception.
Photograph by Marilyn Harvey
Stories and Sequences: Images from F/STOP features a collection of photographic series created, curated, and presented in accordion books by the Arts Council’s F/STOP program participants.
F/STOP is designed to be a fun opportunity for people 55 years of age and older to creatively express their identities, tell their stories, and share their connection with Mariposa through photography.
This lifespan learning initiative supports a growing collection of research showing that older adults have a great capacity to develop new creative talents and technical skills and that community-based art programs have a lasting positive impact of seniors’ all around health.
During F/STOP workshops, artists-in-residents, Jeannine Andre and Cara Goger, facilitated group discussions about the medium of photography and worked through a curriculum focused on composition, lighting, the elements of art, sequencing and editing. Using iPods, phones and digital cameras to take their photos, participants were encouraged to concentrate on the artistic and conceptual side of photography to tell a story through their images.
Partnering with the Arts Council on the F/STOP initiative were the County of Mariposa’s Department of Community Services, the Mariposa County Library, and the John C. Fremont Health Care District. These partners brought expertise on senior programing to F/STOP as well as assisting with outreach and providing easily accessible locations for the classes. F/STOP was made possible by generous funding from the California Arts Council’s Local Impact program, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Ann Harris: Celebrating a Life’s Work and Stories and Sequences: Images from F/STOP is open to the public and will run through June 24 at the Art Council’s Treetop Gallery, located at 5009 Highway 140 (upstairs from Chocolate Soup), open from 9 to 5, Monday through Friday, 10 to 5:30 on Saturday, and 11 to 4 on Sunday.
For more information please call the Arts Council at (209) 966-3155 or visit www.mariposaartscouncil.org.
The MARIPOSA COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL, INC. is an incorporated not-for-profit organization, created to promote and support all forms of the cultural arts, for all ages, throughout Mariposa County.
