Celestial Journeys, our show of art in a cosmic theme by Art Presence member artists, opens in the main gallery on Friday, July 5. Our guest exhibit for July is Jacksonville City Council member Ken Gregg, who shows images from his newly published small coffee table book, “A Year in Jacksonville, A Story in Photographs.”

Ken Gregg has been a professional photographer for most of his life. From the time he received his first box Brownie camera at age ten as a Christmas gift, he has been capturing images of people, places and events wherever he has gone. He used his love of old California history and architecture to publish books on Santa Barbara and the San Ynez Valley. For the past twenty-five years, his work has been installed as permanent collections in luxury hotels around the world. For the last four years, he has been focusing his attention on capturing what life looks like in the small historic town of Jacksonville.

Please join us for a reception for the artists on Saturday, July 6, from 1:00-3:00pm, with wine tasting from DANCIN Vineyards. Ken will sign the copy of the book you purchase.

Last call! There is still room for children age 6-12 interested in learning the basics of drawing. Please register now to reserve their seat in Session 2 of our FREE Drawing for Youth class. Session 2 classes take place from 5:30-7:00pm each Tuesday from July 30 through September 3. Brooke Nuckles, former Education Director for Rogue Gallery and Art Center, heads up this class. Provided materials are made possible by a grant from the Haines and Friends Foundation. Join us for safe, fun and effective classes with experienced art teachers! Stop by the gallery or call Anne Brooke at 541-941-7057 to sign-up.

We want to thank the participants in last month’s kickoff to the new Jacksonville Second Saturday ArtWalk! Willowcreek Gifts, Rebel Heart Books, Miners’ Bazaar, Carefree Buffalo, Free Association, The Blue Door, Terra Firma, Pico’s, The Jacksonville Company, Jefferson Farm Kitchen, Artist & Gardener, Cricket Hill Winery and the Cotton Broker.

Art Presence will host the Chamber of Commerce mixer on Thursday, July 11, from 5:00-7:00pm. The event is to be catered by Bella Union.

CALL TO ARTISTS: Art Presence calls to artists for the 7th Annual Angels Show. Angel artists interested in participating in this year’s show should send an email to Anne Brooke to let her know. If you have angel art already prepared, please include images of the works you plan to enter. We will post more details on our website soon.