In its 15th year, YoloArts’ Art & Ag Project celebrates the landscape of Yolo County farms, and art created on farms. The Art Farm Exhibition features works of art cultivated during the 2022 season of artist visits to local farms and farmlands in Yolo County. This year marks a milestone for the Art & Ag Project with over 150 farms cultivated by artists to date.
This year’s exhibition opens to the public with a reception on September 14 at The Barn Gallery in Woodland and includes the largest assembly of art in the exhibition’s history with over 125 works by 97 local and regional artists. This collection of original art includes paintings, photographs, mixed media, sculpture, and fiber art.
Artwork in the show was juried by Sacramento art photographer Kurt Fishback, noted for his portraits of other artists and photographers. Son of photographer Glen Fishback, Kurt was exposed to art photography at an early age. He studied art at Sacramento City College, San Francisco Art Institute, Cornell University, and UC Davis where he received his Master of Fine Arts Degree studying with Robert Arneson, Roy DeForest, William Wiley, and Manuel Neri. Ceramic sculpture was the first medium that gained him high visibility in the art world. After finishing graduate work and teaching fine art media at several colleges, Kurt was asked to teach at his father’s school of photography in Sacramento. Since 1963 Kurt has been involved in many solo and group exhibitions including SFMOMA and Crocker Art Museum. His work is represented in many public, private, and corporate collections.
“We are honored to have Kurt as our juror this year with his vast experience in ceramics, painting and photography. He brings a unique perspective to our 15th annual show,” said Janice Purnell, YoloArts creative director.
Presentation of juried awards will be announced at the opening reception, 5:30 to 7:45 pm, Wednesday, September 14. Juried award announcements will begin at 6:45 p.m. Winners of the first Art & Ag Poetry contest will be announced and celebrated by Davis Poet Laureate Julia B. Levine during the reception. The top three winners will be present to recite their poems. Winners are: Lauren Sullivan and Danielle LeMay of Davis, and Jan Haag of Sacramento.
The evening will also feature the live music of Rowan McGuire, local wine and refreshments.
The Art Farm exhibition runs through November 18 at The Barn Gallery.
Tickets for the fundraising Art Farm Gala go on sale September 8 and will be available for purchase at the opening reception, and at yoloarts.org. The Art Farm Gala is planned for Saturday, October 15. Sponsors for the event include Cobram Estate, Todd A. Montgomery CPA, Frank and Nancy Muller, Banner Bank, Bullseye Farms, Capay Canyon Ranch, Citrona Farms LLC, Edward Jones, Farm Credit West, Debra Gonella and Whit Manley, Pacific Coast Producers, Chris and Sharon Steele, TS&L Seed Company, Liberty Land Management and Socialhouse Event Co, Bayer Crop Science, Hilleby International Inc., LedgerPro Bookkeeping, Remy Moose and Manley LLC, UC Davis, Yolo Federal Credit Union, Duane Chamberlain, Neil and Rebecca Dougherty, Half Moon Fruit & Produce Co., Tom and Celeste Hanagan, Blake and Melissa Harlan, N & R Trailer Leasing, LLC, Supervisor Jim Provenza, David Scheuring, Schreiner Farms, and Tauzer Apiaries/Sola Bee Farms.
The Barn Gallery is located at 512 Gibson Road in Woodland, at the Gibson House and Property. Regular gallery viewing hours are Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday afternoons. Exhibition artwork can also be viewed online at yoloarts.org. For more information, contact YoloArts at 530-309-6464 or ya@yoloarts.org.