Director’s Statement

Thirty-eight years celebrating the arts and artists who live or work in our city have been worth all the effort and dedication as 2024 is lining up to be a year of cultural milestones for Emeryville and new opportunities for our creative community.

This year’s exhibition is the largest in our history representing a 30% increase in artists over last year. Attendance

has jumped in the last two years. Contributing to this success is surely the opportunity to create our event at Public Market Emeryville for the third consecutive year. Location, location, location and continuity.

An enormous thank you to Lauren Krause and Josh Turnbull of Oxford Properties Group, owners and managers of Public Market Emeryville, for Oxford’s generous donation of a remarkable space for the show. Their on-site team of Dustin Durham, Andrea Kirkpatrick, David Bermudez, and Hailey Mamizuka have been incredibly supportive as we transform the site.

Our Board, Operating Committee, and 150+ artists and volunteers all work together to bring us to opening night! The increase in the number of artists brought challenges. Thank you to Pam Mendelsohn and Linda Lee Boyd for volunteer coordination extraordinaire. In addition, Linda handles our website, our on-line outreach, and so much more.

Publicist Genevieve Antaky and Graphic Designer Suzanne Anderson-Carey on-board again this year for us...such a pleasure to work with these two creative professionals. Curator Kathleen Hanna worked her magic designing and installing this large, diverse selection of artwork in collaboration with Assistant Exhibition Designer Alison McLennan while jurors Vicky Kumpfer and Kristen Zaremba brought their experience to reviewing over 900 artworks this summer. Blue ribbons and gold stars to all!

Thank you to Emeryville City Council members and Emeryville’s Public Art Committee for their continuing support with Amber Evans in the lead. Thank you to Public Works Manager Daniel Gonzales and to Lewis Conway and his crew. Gratitude to Roger Bash of Bashland Builders for his generosity of many years.

As Rotten City Cultural District begins to hit stride, a thank you to the team of Sorrel Raino-Tsui, Trent Thompson and Erica Enriquez of ABG Art Group tasked with energizing the District. RCCD collaborations have already allowed us to expand our offerings to artists. Also with District funding, Charmin Roundtree-Baquee and Jean Johnstone are conducting studies for a City Art Center.

The Exhibition is so large that you may want to make a second visit to experience all or return for a dance performance or poetry reading. Then grab a copy of the updated Public Art Map and discover new public art popping up throughout the city, notice our local artwork in bus shelters, in murals, and on our utility boxes. Visit Jered’s Pottery, The Compound Gallery, and RCCD Gallery.

And look forward with us as Emeryville Celebration of the Arts anticipates the opening of our Gallery 4509 in 2025, a permanent base to continue our efforts. Thirty-eight years of history and looking to the future!

Sharon Wilchar

Credits

Emeryville City Council
Mayor Courtney Welch
Vice-Mayor David Mourra
Council Member John J. Bauters
Council Member Sukhdeep Kaur
Council Member Kalimah A. Priforce

Emeryville Celebration of the Arts Board of Directors
Ken Schmier, Chair
Frances Gaston, Vice Chair
Linda Lee Boyd
Kava Massih
Pam Mendelsohn
Albert Repola

Director & Project Coordinator
Sharon Wilchar

Art Exhibition Operating Committee
Linda Lee Boyd
Frances Gaston
Kava Massih
Pam Mendelsohn
Albert Repola
Ken Schmier
Gwen Souza

Director & Project Coordinator: Sharon Wilchar
Curator: Kathleen Hanna
Publicist: Genevieve Antaky
Graphics & Website Design: Suzanne Anderson-Carey
Website Programming: Linda Lee Boyd
Printing: Autumn Press