ART - Linda Fitz Gibbon
November 13 | Noon-12:45pm | Free
The Barn Gallery | 512 Gibson Road, Woodland
"Whether figurative or abstract, my hand-built ceramic sculptures reference the human body, gender, and stereotypes. Toys, items of popular culture, and produce are used as contrasting symbols of nature vs nurture and the natural vs plastic environment. They point to how we raise children in an increasingly violent and callous society. Abstract and classic pottery forms are often scaled up, run over, stepped on, and/or punctured to evoke life’s creative and destructive forces." - Linda Fitz Gibbon
Linda Fitz Gibbon will illuminate how the ceramic artworks she has created are inspired by the bounty of produce grown in Yolo County and beyond. The talk will cover how the ceramic medium has a direct connection to the earth from which fruits and vegetables are grown; myths and legends; and the kitchen where food has provided colorful nourishment over centuries.
Born in New York, Linda Fitz Gibbon lives and works in Woodland, CA. She has an MFA in Visual Arts from the Art Institute of Boston/Lesley University, and BA from Yale University. Artist Residencies include the Vermont Studio Center 2017 and 2019 and Anderson Ranch Art Center, CO in 2010.
Her work is in the collections of the Crocker Art Museum and the UC Davis Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, CA; the Arizona State University Museum, Tempe; the Butler Institute of American Art, OH; and the Yale University Art Gallery, CT. Publications include Confrontational Ceramics, 500 Figures in Clay: Volumes I & II, Ceramics Art and Perception, and Ceramics Monthly.
HISTORY - Mel Russell
December 11th | Noon-12:45pm | Free
The Barn Gallery | 512 Gibson Road, Woodland
Presenter Mel Russell will tell the story of how critical agriculture was to the winning of the First World War by focusing on the part played by Yolo County. Original photographs from Yolo County, along with powerful propaganda posters and images from the war to demonstrate the national and local efforts to maximize food production and conservation during the Great War. The presentation will cover the timeframe of 1917 to 1919.
The audience should leave this presentation with a deep appreciation for the role that agricultural played in winning the Great War and an awareness of the changes that the war had made in Yolo, making it one of the foremost and richest agricultural counties in the nation. A typical World War I “Demonstration Table” on “War Rations” will be set up and samples of war bread and cookies will be available for the audience to try.
Mel was born in London, England in 1948. She graduated with a double major in History and Physical Education from Digby Stuart College, University of London. Prior to starting her teaching career, she took some time off to travel around the world. Whilst in San Francisco she met her husband Michael and never made it back to England.
Since 2014 Mel has been volunteering for the “Lest We Forget” project commemorating Yolo County’s participation in the First World War. Mel has held many presentations throughout the county communicating the story of all those served, both at home and away during the Great War and continues her research today.
A monthly speaker series featuring experts and professionals speaking on art, history, and agriculture topics begins August 14 at the Gibson House and Property, 512 Gibson Rd, in Woodland. The series, Knowledge @ Noon, is scheduled for the second Wednesday of each month, noon-12:45 p.m., August through December, at the Gibson House and Property in … Continued
YoloArts and Myrtle Press are teaming up to offer a two session printmaking workshop in Woodland and Sacramento. Participants will explore printmaking by learning to make a relief print. The workshops coincide with YoloArts’ current exhibition, Traditional Techniques: Contemporary Prints, at the newly opened Barn Gallery located at The Gibson House & Property, 512 Gibson … Continued