On Friday, September 21, 2007, Gallery ’76 was rededicated as the Robert Graves Gallery to recognize Mr. Graves’ efforts to establish a public art gallery for the citizens of North Central Washington and to honor his 34 year teaching career at Wenatchee Valley College.
Robert Graves Gallery is located in: Sexton Hall of Wenatchee Valley College, 1300 Fifth Street, Wenatchee, WA 98801 Ninth Street entrance Telephone: 509-682-6776 John Crew, President
This fall we will open our 2009/2010 season with our most important exhibit to date. Original paintings, prints, drawings and bronze sculpture by internationally known Pop Artist Jim Dine will be coming to Wenatchee.
Dine began his rise to prominence in New York in the late 1950s, where he staged “happenings” and collaborated with Allan Kaprow, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein and Claes Oldenburg. He has held guest professorships at Yale University and Oberlin College and was represented in the Venice Biennale in 1964 and the Documents “4” in Kassel in 1968. While considered by many to be a Pop Art Icon, Dine shuns the term, considering his work to be more concerned with inner feelings than the banal more commercial imagery of Pop Art. While he often chooses common items such as tools or bathrobes as his subjects, they are represented in a more traditional painterly way that is highly personal. Besides the images of valentine hearts and bathrobes for which he is best known, Dine finds inspiration in classical Greek and Italian art, which finds representation in many of his recent 2 and 3 dimensional pieces. All of these influences will be reflected in the exhibition this fall.
We owe a debt of gratitude to two men besides Mr. Dine for making the exhibit possible. The first is Mark Anderson who owns Walla Walla Foundry, Inc, where Dine has many of his monumental bronzes cast. The pieces we will exhibit are from the foundry’s collection and are made available by Mr. Anderson’s generosity. The second debt is to Jim Huber, whose vision of “doing the impossible” has lead us to this marvelous conclusion.
Recent Exhibits Fall 2008 - Spring 2009
SEPT. 22 - VIEWS BY TWO : Alden Mason and Karen Simonson. This is the first in a series of exhibits by established artists and an artist of their choosing. Mr. Mason is a retired UW art professor and a master painter. He has selected emerging artist and studio associate Karen Simonson to share this exhibition.
NOV. 12 - ROBERT GRAVES GALLERY MEMBERS EXHIBITION: Always an exciting and diverse display of works by our members. Many items are for sale.
Nov. 14 - Member’s Art Bazaar: 5—8 PM. In conjunction with Members Exhibition. Additional works of art by gallery members for sale to the public.
JAN. 5 - (To be announced at a later time)
FEB. 12 - LARRY SCHMITT & ELLEN PICKEN: Two eastern Washington artists are brought together for this exhibition. Larry Schmitt, an abstract painter from Cashmere, is joined by Republic artist Ellen Picken.
APRIL 1 - LEA ZOLTOWSKI: Lea is a professor of art at Montana State University with a MFA in ceramic arts. Her ceramic sculptures and installations uniquely expansive and creative.
MAY 18 - WVC STUDENT ART EXHIBIT: Works are submitted by WVC students and juried by the art faculty.
Current Gallery News:
Honoring a Couple’s Contribution
In June of this year after nearly 20 years of service, Barbara Fountain resigned from our Board of Directors. Barbara came to Wenatchee in 1978 when her husband Jim was transferred here by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Jim was a talented photographer. He first came to the college when a black and white film series was offered by art instructor Jim Mai. Both Jim and Barbara joined the gallery in 1989 and Jim served as treasurer until he resigned in 1997. When Jim passed away in 2006 a memorial service was held in the gallery and friends and family were given their choices of his displayed photographs as remembrances.
Barbara began taking printmaking classes from Robert Graves in 1989. She continued her association with the WVC art faculty over the next 17 years at first as a student and then for 9 years as a printmaking teacher in the continuing education program.
In 1990, Barbara began her volunteer service to the gallery as co-chair of the membership committee and later served as secretary, chair of the education committee and gallery historian. She remains a gallery member and has promised to help when asked. Her patience, wisdom and good nature will be missed by our remaining board members.
With the greatest respect, thank you, Barbara, for all that you and Jim have done for the art community and Robert Graves Gallery.
John Crew, President of the Board Jim Huber, A Lyrical Abstractionist
By Sheila Graves
As a young child, Jim Huber became fascinated with art, especially when it came to color and design. He lived with his grandparents during the first six years of his life and credits his grandfather, an amateur landscape artist, with inspiring and supporting him along the way. Over the years, his interest in the arts developed into a passion. He eventually earned a master of fine arts degree from Claremont Graduate University in Southern California.
Today, the retired teacher spends his time working in his home studio creating what he refers to as lyrical abstractions. “They are music without the lyrics,” he said recently at his Wenatchee home. Several of his works hang throughout his home and it’s obvious, even to the untrained eye, that color and movement is essential to their makeup. He spends an average of four to six hours a day in his backyard studio, where he creates his linear-inspired abstractions.
Huber was born in Portland, Oregon and ended up attending at least 17 schools over the years, due in part to his parents’ divorce and many moves that followed. After a stint with the Navy Reserves, which included two deployments to Vietnam, he used his GI Bill to enroll at the University of California at Riverside. He was the first person to graduate with double degrees in Art History and Studio Art in 1971. He remembered that at the time, his education professors remarked how amazed they were that he had come so far, considering his earlier experiences of countless moves and different schools. Huber was 26 when he entered his first juried art show in 1970-71 at the San Bernardino County Museum.“This was the era of minimalism and conceptual art and at the time, I became inspired by Frank Stella, Kenneth Nolan, Elsworth Kelley,’’ he said. He also garnered inspiration from Jackson Pollack’s drip-style method and his use of colors. He was accepted into Claremont Graduate University, where he received his master of fine arts degree in 1975.He was married by now to Diane and they later had two children, Devin and Caitlin. He supported his young family by teaching at the elementary school level, a position he held until his retirement after 31 years with the California School District in Riverside.
During those years, he maintained a studio in his garage and by the mid-80s he developed a relationship with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Rental Gallery. His paintings sold and he stayed on for six years. He remembered that one of his paintings was bought by a sister of Nicole Brown before the famous and much televised trial of OJ Simpson. “I hope she still has it and not OJ,” he said. Following retirement, he and his wife returned to the Northwest, settling in Wenatchee, where he served on the Arts Commission for two years.
Huber walked over to one of his canvasses in the living room: “I like to take my eyes and climb in between the lines and negative spaces – it’s like going into a new world,” he said of his work. “I like designing things – creating a mystery. I can’t sit for very long before I have to get up and create something.”
Many Thanks to Our Supporters
As we wrap up our first year as Robert Graves Gallery there are many people to thank. First and foremost are you our members who continue to be the life blood of the gallery. Your annual dues, which you will find forms for in this newsletter, provide the funds for shipping, transportation, accommodations, advertising, honorarium and a significant portion of our ever growing printing and postage costs. We are grateful for the in-kind services provided by WVC and their budgetary allotment, but as the community grows so do our needs.
We thank our volunteer docents, reception volunteers and board members, serving the gallery, college and community with our gratitude as their only compensation.
And we thank those who have offered professional services pro-bono over the last two years. Our sometimes confusing and frustrating dealings with bureaucracy have been greatly reduced by Susanne Altman, CPA PLLC who, with great patience, has seen us through some difficult times. The Speidel Law Firm developed and processed our new incorporated name as Robert Graves Gallery. The firm continues to help us with legal advice when we need it.
All of that tedious work goes on behind the scenes so we can fulfill our commitments to the community with style and panache. That image of sophisticated professionalism has largely been provided by Korey Korfiatis and his team of graphic artists at Saggezza Creative Group who designed our new logo, helped us with fundraising, and are helping us create a high quality brochure.
Thanks to all of you for your help and dedication to art, education and community.
John Crew, President of the board.
We are Looking For Additional Board Members
The gallery members of the board are currently looking for a few new members to help with fundraising and promotional activities. If you are interested in helping the gallery continue a strong presence in N.C.W. and have talents you would like to share with us, please contact John Crew, President, at (509) 682-6776 or (509) 665-5977. We would love to hear from you.
Current Board of Directors: President/Gallery Coordinator: John Crew; Secretary: Sheila Graves;Treasurer: Shirl Bradford; Gordon James; David Hampton; Hank Langeman; Joyce Thompson.
Please join us today in creating a strong foundation of support for Robert Graves Gallery and the visual arts by becoming a member.
Robert Graves Gallery is a nonprofit, community-supported public art gallery located in Sexton Hall on the Wenatchee Valley College Wenatchee campus. It is the gallery's purpose to promote awareness of the visual arts through quality exhibitions, classes, workshops, lectures and related programs.
Even though Robert Graves Gallery is located on the campus of Wenatchee Valley College and partially funded by the college, it is a separate entity of the college. It is a gallery for all of us in North Central Washington. The majority of funds needed for operating come from membership fees, donations, art exhibits and sales events.
MEMBERSHIP and RENEWAL OPTIONS
Robert Graves Gallery offers a variety of membership options to allow your participation in supporting art in our community. Every membership confirms your support for our basic goal of providing a venue for the exhibition of a diversity of high quality art in our community.
SENIOR or STUDENT - $25 Basic rewards: Receive all mailings and the opportunity to enter Members' Exhibit.
SUPPORTING - $50 Basic rewards plus a 10% discount on purchases.
PATRON - $150 Basic rewards plus a 15% discount on purchases and one additional entry in Members' Exhibit.
BUSINESS and ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIPS
BOOSTER - $250 Receives all announcements and mailings plus recognition in Newsletters and at our Web site.
BENEFACTOR - $500 The Booster benefits plus special recognition posted in the gallery and a selected limited edition print (unframed).
SPONSOR - $1,000 All the Benefactor benefits plus Your name or business listed as a sponsor on an exhibition of your choosing and archival framing of your print.
To become a member complete the following information and return with payment to: Robert Graves Gallery, 1300 5th St. Wenatchee, WA 98801-1741, or For more information call 682-6776 or 665-5977.
NAME OF INDIVIDUAL OR BUSINESS____________________________________
