“We’ve had an amazing 40 years of continuous operation as an artists’ cooperative, something not all galleries can say,” says Jackie Lee of the Sonoma Arts Guild.
Some of the first artists to join back in 1977 will exhibit their art for the month and will be present at an opening reception to share their stories.
The Arts Guild was founded by Sal Guardino, Ray Jacobsen and Richard Roth. In 1977, the three artists were attending the same art show in the Sonoma Plaza, but when it was rained out, they started talking about the lack of venues for showing their work in Sonoma. They founded the nonprofit Arts Guild later that year.
They formed a Screening Committee and chose seven people as their first exhibitors – Christine Ford, Donna Guardino, John Mercer, Marguerite Pendergast, Beverly Prevost, Dave Prevost and Vince Taylor. They showed not only paintings, but sculptures, ceramics, jewelry, photography, pottery and printmaking.
Their first location was a tiny 6- by 10-foot space in the back of the historic El Paseo building. It quickly became apparent that this site was not going to be large enough for their purposes. Guardino negotiated a month-to-month space on First Street East, which is now the Boulangerie Bakery, and the landlord included the second floor in the agreement. Each person put up $100 to get the gallery up and running. It was a large, multi-level space where they were able to have a gallery and sales area on the ground floor, along with studio spaces. They gave art classes to children every afternoon on the second floor.
Beverly Prevost managed the shop for eight years, and by that time they had 20 people involved, including Roberta Alexander (who still exhibits today at the Arts Guild), John Curry, Barbara Jacobsen, and Lin Lipetz, to mention just a few.
The Arts Guild was located for a short time in a smaller gallery on Broadway, before they relocated to the current space at 140 E. Napa St. in the LaHaye Building.
“We are immensely grateful for the support of all the art lovers who have been involved with us as artists and collectors over the years,” says artist Jackie Lee. “Hundreds of artists have been part of this endeavor over the years, many of them well known.”
Opening reception is from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, March 3. The exhibit honoring the Guild’s 40 year history ends April 3.
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