August 9, 2023
Studios on the Park in Paso Robles will officially re-open on June 15 with a reflective month-and-a-half-long showing of original art by four notable California women artists.
The leading Downtown art center has been closed for nearly the past three months as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The featured artists to be shown through the end of July will include Peg Grady, a leading producer of stitch artwork based in Santa Margarita, Judy Johnson-Williams, who is an especially creative multi-media artist based in Atascadero, Marsha Shaw, a talented San Francisco-based printmaker, collage artist, and bookbinder, and Corinne Lightweaver, a leading Los Angeles collage artist.
Together, the works of this diverse and talented group of multi-media artists will reflect on the theme “Reweaving Our Social Fabric.” While the pieces presented were not specifically produced in response to the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic, as a body of featured works, they constitute a ready backdrop for reflection, reckoning, and recalibration in the midst of the continuing global health crisis.
The June reopening follows forced cancellations of Studios’ planned April and May shows, which were respectively to highlight issues affecting veterans of the U.S. armed forces and individuals and families dealing with mental health issues and challenges.
During the shutdown, Studios on the Park has supported alternative programming through a series of innovative virtual exhibits, tutorials, and conversations with leading regional arts figures, to help its constituents remain connected to creative culture issues and content.
According to the organization’s Artistic Director, Henry A. J. Ramos, “Studios on the Park will re-open in phases over the coming weeks,” starting with limited hours and viewing opportunities. The “Reweaving Our Tattered Social Fabric” show will offer over 40 original works produced during recent years building on techniques ranging from classical collage to printmaking and creative stitchwork.
According to Ramos, “the powerful pieces we plan to offer in June and July are intended to encourage personal and public dialog about what matters most in life, during times of crisis and loss,” and “to examine our relationships to one another, to the planet, and to time.”
During the show run, those interested in visiting Studios on the Park for a viewing should contact the organization in advance. As the organization begins to resume activity it will adhere to strict social distancing guidelines and limited facilities entries to ensure maximum public safety.
For more details on Studios on the Park’s June show, “Reweaving Our Tattered Social Fabric” and other exciting program offerings planned for the coming months, please call Studios on the Park at (805) 238-9800 or visit the organization’s informative website at: www.studiosonthepark.org.
