Terroir: A Sense of Place
March 20 – June 21, 2009
At the Marin French Cheese Company (Pt. Reyes-Petaluma Road near end of Novato Blvd.)
Open to the public + FREE
Exhibition hours: 12 to 5 Daily Outdoors and Friday, Saturday, Sunday Indoors
Terroir: A Sense of Place is the inaugural exhibition for an exciting new venue in Marin County at the Marin French Cheese Company. Included are twenty-eight artists from around the Bay Area whose work presents a unique perspective of our relationship with the land. Most people have heard the word Terroir used in reference to describing distinct wine appellations. Originally a French term, it expresses the special characteristics that a specific landscape contributes to growing foods; like the soil, the weather conditions and the farming techniques. For this exhibition, the definition has been co-opted to express the Sense of Place that these artists experience in nature. Their work reveals elemental, cultural, ecological, and social layers that expand on the agricultural characteristics of Terroir.
Both indoor and outdoor works include temporary and permanent installations and interactive events, and photography, painting, sculpture and sound work indoors. Artists include: Adriane Colburn, Ann Weber, Benicia Gantner, Caitlin McCaffrey, Claudia Tennyson, Edwin Hamilton, Emily Payne, James Gouldthorpe, Jessica Resmond, Jorge Bachman, Josh Keyes, Judith Selby Lang, Lawrence LaBianca, Lea Redmond, Lewis de Soto, Mari Andrews, Mark Brest van Kempen, Meadowsweet Dairy, Michael Mellon, Philip Krohn, Sarah Klein, Sarah Pedlow, Sharon Siskin, Sonja Hinrichsen, Susan Leibovitz Steinman, Suzanne Biaggi, Walter Orion, Wowhaus.
SCHEDULE
March 20 – Exhibition open to the public
March 22 – Reception includes:
12-3pm - MIX: Wowhaus Bicycle Composter and potluck (Lakeside)
12-5pm - The Bread Project with Sarah Klein (Cheese Factory)
3-5pm - Wine and Cheese Reception (Gallery)
May 2 –
2pm - Curator’s tour with Patricia Watts (Gallery)
3pm - The Apothecary with Claudia Tennyson (Gallery)
June 21 – Last day of exhibition
About Art at the Cheese Factory (ACF)
ACF is a start-up project headed by Claudia Chapline (Stinson Beach) to create a unique art venue in collaboration with the Marin French Cheese Company located at 7500 “Red Hill Road” or Pt. Reyes-Petaluma Road near the end of Novato Blvd, Petaluma. ACF’s mission is to enhance the art experience in Marin County by providing an indoor/ outdoor exhibition space that combines work by contemporary artists of national and international reputation with work by regional artists. www.artatthecheesefactory.org
The Marin French Cheese Company, a 700-acre ranch and historic factory (operating continuously for 144 years), has over 150,000 visitors each year. Owners Jim Boyce and Kristin Otis, who transformed a historic barn on the property in 2005 into a gallery for an exhibition of works by the late painter Jesse Reicheck, are enthusiastic supporters of the arts and are thrilled to be doing contemporary art programming on the property. www.marinfrenchcheese.com
About the Guest Curator/Juror
Patricia Watts was invited by ACF to facilitate a juried selection process with Sam Bower of Greenmuseum.org, and to curate additional artists for Terroir. Formerly Chief Curator at the Sonoma County Museum in Santa Rosa, Watts specializes in artists who address environmental issues. She is founder of ecoartspace, a nonprofit organization providing curatorial support for those seeking to address the human/nature interface through the visual arts. www.ecoartspace.org
FUNDING
Funding for this exhibition was made possible with a grant from the Marin Arts Council Community Arts Partnership Grant, private donations, and volunteers. Sponsored by Gallery Route One.
For more information and directions go to:
http://artatthecheesefactory.blogspot.com
