Message from Michael Heacock, Outgoing Board President: The Board met and voted in June to have a transition of Board officers. Abby Wasserman was selected to take on the Presidency while I will be switching to Vice President. The arrangement will give me more time to focus on growing my own architectural business as well as concentrating on fine-tuning OHCA’s Master Plan. I have enjoyed my time as President and thank you for your warm support.

Painting Party: Thanks to Scott Adams, Richard Head, Gail Robertson, Abby Wasserman, and Megan Wilkinson for priming and applying the first coat of paint to the Koya ceramics studio! We will schedule a follow up painting day shortly and will need new volunteers. Let us know if you can help! It moves so much more quickly with more than a few set of hands.

Summer Party: Thank you to everyone who joined us on Thursday, June 19 for OHCA’s summer party! It was great seeing and catching up with you all.

New Office Assistant: OHCA is excited to announce a new part time presence in the OHCA office: Erma Murphy will be assisting Megan for a few hours each week. Volunteer Melinda Di Sessa will continue to help on Thursdays as well. Megan will be expanding her community outreach and will be off site more often. Exciting changes ahead!

We are still also offering scrap stone of various shapes and sizes, free to a good home. First come, first served. To arrange for picking up the stones, please contact the OHCA office: 415-388-4331.

Loka and Parking Update: Filmmaker Kacey Hart has moved into Loka. The Board decided her designated parking space should be the upper driveway (the stretch between the Loft and Gallery). The carport is strictly for use by OHCA participants who have difficulty walking up and down the hill. However, temporary parking while dropping off or picking up items in the upper driveway area IS allowed. Please do not block the driveway, and primarily use the lower parking lot for your OHCA activities.

We have received some feedback about this new arrangement and want to make sure it is clear that OHCA’s deck project requires that we show an accessible route of travel from an ADA space (the carport) to the “front door” of the loft or gallery. We have no choice but to call the carport our ADA space, since there is no alternative travel route that comes close to ADA compliance.

We will, of course, accommodate anyone who needs access. We will add signage at the carport to distinguish that parking area. Thanks for your support and encouragement. We welcome you to contribute your ideas for improvement at any time.

July Artist Retreat: OHCA is once again offering a July ARTIST RETREAT. This is a weeklong (5 day) opportunity for artists to work independently but in the company of other dedicated artists. This is not a workshop, and there will be no instruction. What there will be is an opportunity for serious self-directed artists to work in a quiet atmosphere for a sustained period of time, working together but independently in the spirit of creativity.

The Retreat will be held Monday, July 21 through Friday, July 25, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the OHCA Loft and outside areas. (The July 14-18 Retreat is sold out.) The price for one July Artist Retreat is: $185 for the week-long retreat; $150 OHCA members.

The Retreat is open to anyone who agrees to some simple rules. There is to be no talking. Silence with talking quietly only is allowed outside during the hours of 9 – 5 and no music is allowed except with earphones. No visitors except after 5. Participants will be responsible for their own lunch and art supplies unless otherwise designated. Artists may leave their supplies and work set up during the week and will be required to clean up afterwards.

There is space for 7 Visual Artists and 3 Writers. Spaces are given to those who reserve first and with fees paid. Please designate which week you are applying for when you pay.

Thursdays of each week-long Retreat, after 5 p.m. there will be a pot luck dinner where everyone can socialize and share their work/process.

Member News: Elizabeth Addison has new work in the “Disconnect: 2014 NCWCA Members Exhibition” at the Transmission Gallery, 770 W Grand Avenue, Oakland, CA! Her works will be on display through July 19. http://thetransmissiongallery.como

Congratulations to Janet Greenwood and any OHCA artists who have work chosen for the Marin County Fair! We’ll look forward to seeing your artworks on display.

Barry Toranto will be showing his photos at Noci Gelato on East Blithedale in Mill Valley for the month of July. Stop by to get a treat and see what new images Barry is capturing!

Whole Foods on Miller Avenue will be showcasing the works of Jennifer Tatum, Julia Ross, Louise Maloof, Barry Toranto, Carolyn Planakis, Cayen Robertson, Elaine Larson, Elise Cheval, Mima Cataldo, Rachel Kelly, Sonja Bakalyar, and Virginia Stella for the months of July-September! The show will correspond to OHCA being designated their Dimes for Nonprofits recipient those same months. See below for more details about how to give to OHCA through the DFNP program.

OHCA Member Profiles

One of the fun things about being a member of O’Hanlon Center for the Arts is getting to know one another at openings and events. Now we’re adding print! Diorama is featuring mini-profiles of a couple of members per issue, based on interviews via email and telephone. Here’s the first.

PROFILE #1: CAROLYN PLANAKIS

Carolyn Planakis, a longtime member of O’Hanlon Center for the Arts (formerly Sight & Insight) and assistant facilitator of Saturday’s Personal Creativity Workshop, was introduced to Ann O’Hanlon soon after moving here from Reno in 1969. Once her children were in school, she accepted the invitation of seminal member Eleanor Severinghaus to attend workshops facilitated by “The Catalysts,” a group of several Sight & Insight artists using Ann’s philosophy, and began painting regularly at 616 Throckmorton.

Carolyn, a native Californian, graduated from Miami University of Ohio with a B.S. in Art Education. Before returning to California, she taught art in several elementary schools in Dayton. “I had used oils in college,” Carolyn recalls. “When I first came here I took an acrylic painting class in Terra Linda that emphasized the “right way” to paint, which was not what I wanted. Ann’s workshops were so different. The emphasis was to explore materials to discover for yourself what can happen. Ann’s approach was active involvement in process, not the end product. Not making something you think everyone’s going to like. Do it for yourself, not to get praise from someone else. And take time until you have real involvement. She would say, ‘Don’t stop, keep looking at your piece to discover what you have. Add a second act—even a third. Always be sure to hang the works, look at them and talk about them.’

“I had always loved art and nature and was aware of things around me, but Ann made that awareness stronger. I still remember when a light went on in my head; I was seeing things in a different way.”

Carolyn went on many field trips with Ann O’Hanlon, not only to museums but to Mt. Tamalpais, West Marin, Yosemite, Tuolomne Meadows, Lake Tahoe. “Ann said that everything that happens in art has a counterpart in nature… dark and light, thick and thin, open and closed, random order, the element of surprise. The way I think about art now is because of her. Each person is unique and there are as many images of an object as eyes to see it. But also what you do must be accepted and respected by you.”

Former OHCA member Susi Martin’s husband, Leonard, who was affiliated with Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco, invited Sight and Insight to use an unoccupied space as a gallery. The arrangement lasted several years. “Our next space in a building near Fort Mason, was ground-level, with no windows. We took turns sitting at the gallery, but it was unsettling,” Carolyn remembers. “You didn’t know when someone was entering the building.” Finally, Dick O’Hanlon’s studio was remodeled into our current gallery.

There was a strong spirit of collaboration in the 1970’s. Carolyn, Cayen Robertson, Eleanor and several others from Sight & Insight, in association with Youth in Arts, went into Marin elementary schools, met with the teachers and had three sessions with the kids. It was a successful and rewarding program. Carolyn subsequently developed and taught an Art Perception program at West Novato School under a one-year grant for kindergarten, first and second grades called “Focus On Perception”; and taught art perception in Marin Co. special ed classrooms for more than ten years. She and fellow OHCA member Sandy Tresan taught after-school clay workshops for fifth and sixth graders as well.

Carolyn built on her experience with Sight and Insight to pursue a career as an art teacher. “With kids and adults we use the same principles of perception: Seeing what is around us, exploring—discovering what each element does by itself and in relation to others. Using non-conceptual projects—to look and think about what they see, to be aware of colors and shapes and their relationships to one another. To be involved in the process. Not the end product.”

Carolyn loves coming to the Center, and is happy with the way it’s growing. She has facilitated several Family Art Day Perception workshops here. She often submits artwork to exhibits, and her fresh, creative approaches to materials never ceases to surprise us. She especially enjoys the Wabi-Sabi annual show. “It’s everybody’s favorite. I remember the first year we did it—I made big pieces from paper towels stained with tea. I like the principle of it. . . taking something and doing something else with it. Things I’ve found. Rusty things…old things. Nature with gnarled wood and shells.”

She also loves the open and warm atmosphere of Saturday’s Personal Creativity Workshop: “Such amazing people, and such a wide range of ages. The youngest is twelve and the oldest is over eighty. To me it’s the core of the philosophy.”

–Abby Wasserman

 

CALL FOR ENTRIES: “Bay Area Women Artists”

O’Hanlon Center Gallery, August 2014

• Exhibition Dates: July 29 to August 21, 2014

• Artists’ Roundtable Discussion: Tuesday, August 6, 4 to 6 p.m.

• Reception: Tuesday, August 6, 6 to 8 p.m.

• Jurors: Donna Seager and Suzanne Gray, Seager Gray Gallery, Mill Valley, CA.

• Entry Fee: $30 for O’Hanlon Center for the Arts’ members, $35 for non-members, for up to three pieces.

• Become a new OHCA member at the time of entry and get your submission fee waived! Call or visit www.ohanloncenter.org for more details.

Media: Any media with emphasis on exploration, process, and imaginative use of materials and content. O’Hanlon Center for the Arts emphasizes the creative process and the continued pursuit of meaning and authenticity through observation, exploration, and experimentation.

Juried-in pieces must be ready to display, with any necessary hanging material in place, and instructions. All accepted works must be labeled with artist’s name, telephone, email address, medium, size, and price, if for sale. Please do not submit artwork that has previously been displayed in OHCA’s Gallery shows.

Eligibility: Open to all Bay Area Women artists aged 18 and over. By taking part in the show, artists agree to a 30% tax-deductible donation to the Center from all sales.

Dates for exhibition entries: Due to the popularity of this show in past years, OHCA is instituting a new entry process, just for their August Bay Area Women Artists show. There will be a two-step entry process (it is necessary to take part in the first step in order to qualify for the second step):

Step 1: Submit digital images: Only emailed JPG images or a mailed CD of JPG images will be considered for the initial qualifying selections. Digital images are due to OHCA by Monday, July 14 at Noon.

Digital JPG files information: Please send high resolution images—no web images. No images larger than 2 MB will be accepted nor smaller than 1 MB. Please name JPG files with artist’s first initial, full last name, and title of work. (File name example: a.ohanlon.untitled1.jpg) Emailed images should be included as attachment (not in the body of your email).

Please also include a separate PDF document with the information below. You may also include an optional brief (paragraph or less) art statement about the media or process used in the artwork. Please name your PDF file in a similar format as your images: with artist’s first initial, full last name, and the word “info”. (File name example: a.ohanlon.info.pdf)

ARTIST’S NAME

TITLE OF WORK #1:

MEDIUM

DIMENSIONS

 

ARTIST’S NAME

TITLE OF WORK #2:

MEDIUM

DIMENSIONS

 

ARTIST’S NAME

TITLE OF WORK #3:

MEDIUM

DIMENSIONS

Email images to: office@ohanloncenter.org or mail the CD to: O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, 616 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley, CA 94941. If a CD is mailed, please include a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope with adequate postage to have your CD returned to you. If no SASE is included, your CD will not be returned to you.

Entries will only be considered by the jurors for the first round of selections if the entry fee is received by Monday, July 14 at Noon. You may mail a check to OHCA to be received by the July 14 date, pay over the phone with your credit card (415-388-4331), or pay online here: https://www.ohanloncenter.org/exhibits/call-for-entries/

The jurors will review all digital entries and artists will be notified by Friday, July 18, 5 p.m. whether their pieces should be hand delivered for the second step of the entry process.

Step 2: If you are asked to hand-deliver your artworks for the second round of selections, please hand-deliver your work to O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, 616 Throckmorton Avenue, Mill Valley, on Friday, July 25, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.; or on Saturday, July 26, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Entries will not be accepted for consideration if they are not ready for display when received. Please include biographical information, artist statements, and your email address if you have one. When you drop off your art, we will give you information about hanging/showing and Gallery policies.

The jurors will then make their final selections for what will be in the show from the items that are hand-delivered. We will notify you about whether your work has been accepted for the final installation by Monday, July 28 at 5 p.m.

Those hand-delivered works not accepted for final installation must be picked up by Tuesday, July 29 between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., unless alternative arrangements are made.

Gallery Requirements are that insurance coverage is provided by the artist and that accepted work must remain on view for the duration of the exhibition.

Retrieval of Unsold Artwork: Unsold work must be picked up on Friday, August 22, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. or Saturday, August 23 between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Artists leaving their work after this time will be charged $5/day storage unless prior arrangements have been made.

We Thank Our Donors! O’Hanlon recently received generous tax-deductible gifts from Nicholas Casagrande and Maggie Feldstein.

Other Great Ways to Give

Whole Foods Market on Miller Avenue in Mill Valley has chosen OHCA as the recipient for their “Dimes for Non Profits (DFNP)” program starting July 1 and through September 30, 2014! DFNP raises money for nonprofit groups at Whole Foods registers. Customers who bring their own bags may opt to take a 10 cent discount for each bag or to donate the 10 cents to a nonprofit. DFNP usually results in an $800-$1200 donation for the designated nonprofit. So remember to bring your bag while shopping and mention OHCA when you check out!

Do you shop online? Designate O’Hanlon Center for the Arts as the nonprofit you’d like to support and Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to OHCA! Contact Megan Wilkinson for more details about how you can give to OHCA using this program. We thank you in advance!

Did you know that by shopping at Mollie Stone’s, Fairfax Market, and Woodland Market that you can contribute to OHCA? Yes, just register your loyalty cards (cards issued by the stores themselves that provide you with discounts) for those stores and part of your receipt will get donated back to OHCA. Take a look at the Escrip website (Escrip.com) and enroll today!

Make your mark at O’Hanlon Designate OHCA as a beneficiary in your estate planning. Contact the OHCA office for details.

Mention “7078” at Mill Valley Market’s register and 2% of your sales will be donated to OHCA!

We Salute New and Renewing Members Barry Toranto, Blair Campbell, Carol Myer, Chantal Schiffeler and family, Elaine Nehm, Joan Sadler, Jonathan Livingston, Laura Lienhard, Louise Maloof, Mark and Kate Richardson, Mary Lonergan, Melinda and Andy Di Sessa, Phyllis Pansegrau, Sandra Tresan, Suz Lipman, Tally Forbes, and Zoe Moynihan.

Artist Opportunities: CALL TO ARTISTS: Lucid Art Residency Program is now accepting applications for the Lucid Art Residency for 2015.

The Lucid Art Residency provides artists with a serene and retreat-like environment for creative exploration. In line with the mission of the Foundation, artists are supported in their inquiry into consciousness, art and nature.

The Lucid Art Foundation encourages contemplative nonfigurative exploration through automatism, multi-media, conceptual, eco-art and interdisciplinary approaches. Inquiry into arts and consciousness is at the heart of the Foundation’s vision and residency program.

Artists in residence will be provided use of the first studio of the painter Gordon Onslow Ford and will reside at the beautiful writing cottage of his wife, writer Jacqueline Johnson, with whom he established an artists’ community in the hills of Inverness, California in the early 1960’s. As the legacy holder, the Lucid Art Foundation continues their vision.

We have posted a Call to Artists through the CAFE website allowing artists to complete their application online. In order to apply, registration with CAFÉ is necessary. Please view this site for more information on our program and eligibility requirements.

Deadline for submissions is November 15, 2014. Lucid Art Foundation – PO Box 1199 Inverness, CA 94937 Phone: 415.669.7585 quest@lucidart.org