A Grant, some Pop Art and an Anniversary: Medium Gallery celebrates two years serving the community
By Carole Brodsky, for the Ukiah Daily Journal
“We were just awarded our first major grant on the two-year anniversary of the opening of our gallery,” explains Chris Pugh, Vice-President of the Board of the Deep Valley Arts Collective- the non-profit organization that operates the Medium Gallery, located in the Pear Tree Shopping Center.
The organization was formed to help artists and the arts community grow, thrive and receive recognition, according to Board President Lillian Rubie. The opening of the gallery was a fortuitous coming together of the desire of the Pear Tree Shopping Center to bring more visitors to the location and the non-profit searching for a venue to begin operations. Since they opened the gallery doors in 2021, Medium Gallery has hosted over 500 individual artists who exhibited their work- many for the first time- in a commission-free space. But operating a gallery is only a small portion of the organizational mission.
Last week, the collective received notice that a $33,198 grant request made to the Upstate California Creative Corps was approved- bringing validity to the collective and moving them toward the fulfillment of other objectives. The collective will be facilitating a novel project working in tandem with the Ukiah Recovery Center to bring collage arts to the recovering and recovery community, culminating in a multi-faceted public art event focusing on addiction and recovery.
“Earlier this year, we heard about this grant opportunity. Everyone in the arts community was abuzz about it,” says Pugh. “Listening meetings were held regionally to discuss the grant. Lillian and I attended meetings separately and left the meetings feeling super-confused. To be honest, we initially discounted applying for the grant. We didn’t think it was for us. It didn’t click at that time.”
The grant stipulated that funds would be disbursed to projects that served the region’s most vulnerable communities.
“I didn’t see at that time how we could provide something for these communities. It was a lot of work that we didn’t know if we could make time for,” says Rubie.
“People started applying,” Pugh continues. “Artists and friends within our circle were asking if we intended to apply, and that kept happening over and over. When it got down to two weeks to deadline, Lillian suggested we take a hard look at the application and reconsider.” The grant uses the Healthy Places Index to determine target areas of need, so the group began to brainstorm what project might be suitable for funding.
“We looked at the numbers for Mendocino County on the Healthy Places Index website. “Not that we didn’t know, but we were shocked at our county’s levels of opioid use, deaths from addiction and how many places have little to no community outreach,” Pugh continues.
Pugh notes that according to data collected by HealthyMendocino.org, Mendocino County ranks among the highest documented users of opiates in California, and has the second-highest number of overdoses in the state- with 14.6 deaths per 100,000 people, as opposed to 5.4 deaths statewide. The county also scores high in alcohol-related deaths and binge drinking.
These “sobering” facts got the board members thinking about their own personal experiences, according to Board Treasurer Kari Hartmann. “We all talked about our connections to people in recovery or to those who have been lost to addiction,” she explains, and the Board realized that each and every one of them had been profoundly affected by a friend or relative with addiction issues.
Simultaneously, an arts colleague and Ukiah Recovery Center counselor Derick Ion had posted a “dream” concept- creating collage workshops for therapeutic purposes. “Seeing Derick’s project sparked the idea of embodying Derick’s collage workshops and tie them in with recovery,” Pugh continues. “We asked Derick to brainstorm with us. He discussed the approaches he uses working with clients.” The group developed an outline, narrative and budget and submitted the application. They titled their project: “Pieced Together: Recovery Through Art Therapy.” The collective competed against 300 applicants, with 81 projects awarded funding.
Now that the project is a reality, Pugh says the group is putting the finishing touches on what was purely conceptual just a few weeks ago.
“We’ll be leading a series of weekly private workshops for Ukiah Recovery Center clients, who will come to the gallery and make collage art here. From there, there will be monthly workshops for the public- with the focus on the workshops being for those in recovery or who have recovered from addiction.” They selected using the medium of collage because of the relatively low skill level needed for non-artists and the public.
“Collage can be considered ‘art for non-artists.’ It’s an approachable medium with lots of room for all kinds of expression,” says Pugh.
Along with the collage workshops, the collective will install a phone line where people can leave anonymous messages about how addiction has affected them. “These will be turned into a video montage that will be part of the final gallery presentation,” says Rubie.
“Ukiah is the county seat, but there are all these remote areas that don’t have access to projects like this,” says Pugh. The decision was made to offer workshops in Covelo, the South Coast and other remote areas of the county.
Additionally, the gallery will house a drop box and paper, notes and pens for people to create anonymous small works or written comments. “These comments will be compiled into a ‘zine’ or a book,” says Pugh. “There will be a lot of production work following the workshops, so we are currently estimating the culmination of the project taking place in Spring, 2024. We’ll have an exhibition of the art, the books and video messages,” says Rubie, adding the entire project will eventually be housed on its own website. “Sales of the books will be used as a scholarship fundraiser for someone exiting the Ukiah Recovery Center who would like to enter Ford Street’s housing program.”
The group got the award news while in the middle of installing their next exhibition, slated to open on First Friday. “Getting the award letter on our anniversary and during the opening of our next exhibit is a little overwhelming,” smiles Pugh. “Writing this grant was a huge accomplishment and a learning lesson, but to be awarded the funding is a real-world validation of the work we’re doing.”
The Pop Art exhibition is inspired by Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and art of the period. “On opening night, Pop-inspired snacks will be served, with audio/video stylings of local DJ Nasty Nate,” says Pugh. There will be a community art project- drawings of blank soup cans so visitors can make their own rendition of Warhol’s famous piece.
For those wanting to participate in the grant project, Pugh suggests the best way to stay informed is to subscribe to the collective’s email list.
“We’d love more volunteers- folks who would like to sit at the gallery, supporting us putting up and taking down shows. And donations are all tax-deductible,” Rubie smiles.
For more information on the Deep Valley Arts Collective visit https://www.deepvalleyarts.org.
