With 2022 now in our rear view mirror, we want to share a few highlights from the past 12 months. The return to nearly normal operations after two years of curtailed activities brought a sense of joy and life back into the galleries, classrooms, meeting rooms, and event spaces. Music and laughter filled the air, and thoughtful conversations enlivened the galleries.

Families enjoying the opening reception for the Ready, Set, Show! Youth Art Exhibition in June.

Ferrari Gallery exhibition highlights in 2022 included the annual Valley Focus exhibition which featured the unique pairing of mixed media works by outstanding regional art department professors David Olivant (CSU Stanislaus) and Deborah Barr (Modesto Junior College) in the winter.

Valley Focus: Works by Deborah Barr and David Olivant (left); Pervasive Innovation (center and right)

This was followed by the amazing exhibition Pervasive Innovation which explored the development of ceramic sculpture in Northern California in the spring. This exhibition included historically significant works by Peter Voulkos, Robert Arneson, and Stephen de Staebler, alongside the work of artists from the next generation or two, including Arthur Gonzalez, Susannah Israel, Tony Natsoulas, John Toki, and Lisa Reinertson. We also featured works by local artists working in — and expanding on — this tradition: Don Hall, Ellen Roehne, and Titia Barnett-Gudde.

The annual youth art show, Ready, Set, Show! showcased young artists, ages 5-18 in all media. And the annual Carnegie Art Showcase brought together a wide variety of works by over 50 artists, keeping the gallery full and vibrant through the summer months.

Carnegie Art Showcase 2022 (left); Stitching California (right)

In the fall we welcomed the talented members of the Northern California/Northern Nevada chapter of the Studio Art Quilt Associates with the traveling exhibition Stitching California: Fiber Artists Interpret the State’s People, Life, and Land. Organized by the Grace Hudson Museum in Ukiah, and traveled by Exhibit Envoy, the show featured tour de force works of technical skill and artistic imagination. With beautiful expressions of California’s iconic landscape, culture, and history on one hand, these artists didn’t hesitate to also tackle tougher subjects that define the California experience like climate change, immigration, and food insecurity.

After a two-year hiatus, our DiscoverArt field trip program roared back to life in the fall of 2022. Schools from Turlock, Modesto, Delhi, and Tracy had docent-led visits in the gallery and studios to experience and learn from the Stitching California exhibition. Numbers exploded when every school in the Ceres school district sent third grade classes to participate, bringing our total for the fall to over 1,500 students.

Stitching California field trip classes in the gallery and studio.

Exhibition related programs featured several artist talks, conversations with the curator, and presentations by experts in California ceramics, geography, and history. An exhibition of photography in the Lobby Galleries, Festa: A Celebration of Portuguese Faith and Culture, opened the door for a documentary screening and book signing with artist Jackson Nichols, a reading with Portuguese-American poet Lara Gularte, as well as our first Fado music concert.

Fado singer George Costa (left), Poet Lara Gularte (center), Geographer Dr. Robert Voeks (right)

Youth art classes and Summer Art Camps served more kids than ever this year! Our monthly program Family Fridays continued to be popular, and we added a Saturday Studio drop in art activity to our monthly offerings, meeting the needs — and schedules — of more families. For the adult audience, we introduced a new event, Art Chat Happy Hour. Each month we share a new discussion topic and welcome anyone who wants to participate. We continue to explore new ways to engage all ages in creative activity and conversation.

Family Fridays (top) and Art Classes (bottom)

Special events brought attention to art and design — and raised needed funds for our ongoing operations. The annual Home & Garden Tour returned this spring, welcoming over 400 visitors into five uniquely designed homes. The Artober Art Auction raised $5,000 and sent some beautiful art and antiques home with lucky bidders. The annual Artisan Market in November brought close to 200 guests in to view and buy from 30 local artists and crafters of all kinds, just in time for the holidays.

Art of Design: Home & Garden Tour 2022 (left; photo credit Stephanie Baker), Artisan Market (center), Block Party (right)

Our 10th Anniversary Season ended with a Block Party in June. In spite of extreme heat, we had 25 vendors, 3 live performances, and over 400 participants. The concept was so popular, we’ll be doing a Block Party again in June 2023! Another popular activity that carried over from the 10th Anniversary is a Downtown Street Banner Contest. In 2021, the theme of the youth art competition was the number 10; this year we focused our theme on “My California” and selected 14 banner designs from over 160 entries. The banners currently can be seen throughout Downtown Turlock and our young artists couldn’t be more proud.

“My California” banners in Downtown Turlock

All in all, a fantastic year that brought 9,000 people through our doors! We hope you’ll join us in 2023 for more discovery and learning through the arts.

Happy New Year!