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HOME IS WHERE THE ART IS
Kern Valley is home to artists of all mediums
“Age before beauty,” the saying goes, but in this wild and marvelous place, age and beauty go hand in hand. Take, for example, the area’s giant sequoias, the Sierra Nevada, and the Kern River itself. Between the monumental trees’ mind-boggling ages and neck-craning heights, the Sierra Nevada’s glacial carvings and granite domes, and the ancient river’s frothing cascades and glassy pools, it’s no wonder the Kern Valley inspires art of every medium.
The valley’s natural surroundings and rich heritage have bred an ever-growing artists’ community that includes four galleries within walking distance of one another in Kernville, one in Wofford Heights, and a working artist’s studio in Mountain Mesa. In April 2006, the Kern River Valley Art Association hosted the first-ever open tour of 25 valley artists’ studios and galleries, representing more than 180 artists and crafts people from Bodfish Canyon to Mountain Mesa, from Lake Isabella to Wofford Heights and Kernville. Due to public interest and feedback, the Art Association plans to present the Open Studio & Gallery Tour as an annual April event, spread over an entire weekend. Contact Kern River Valley Art Association, (760) 379-6162.
Below is a sampling of art galleries with year-round open doors:
Kernville:
A Stone’s Throw Gallery, located within Kernville Antiques and Gifts, features oils, ceramics, jewelry, baskets, and photography with an emphasis on regional artists’ unique works.
13 Big Blue Road, (760) 376-4644
Pringle’s Art Gallery showcases American Indian art and jewelry, as well as hand-crafted leather garments, beads, spurs, and a solid collection of Western-themed books.
121 Piute Drive, (760) 376-6527
The Kern Valley Historical Society’s Museum Art Gallery exhibits a different local artist monthly.
49 Big Blue Road, (760) 376-6683
Dan Mancini’s Acrycolor Gallery, located within Kernville Antiques and Gifts, showcases Mancini’s personal works in oils, acrylic, watercolor, and photographs on canvas.
13 Big Blue Road, (760) 376-2239
Mountain Mesa:
Todd Arthur Wolf, a sought-after artist whose oil and watercolor paintings have hung in museums and galleries from Tokyo to Chicago welcomes visitors to his studio to catch him in-progress, creating abstract paintings inspired by the river. He also teaches art to all ages.
6417 Lynch Canyon Drive, (760) 379-0016,
www.toddarthurwolf.com
Wofford Heights:
Rich Pelletreau’s Wildlife Gallery displays wildlife art and unique crafts by more than 100 wildlife artists, including painters, sculptors, wood-workers, and photographers. For aspiring artists, the gallery also carries a full line of art supplies.
6700 Wofford Heights Boulevard, (760) 376-1403,
www.richpelletreaugallery.com
Between Wofford Heights and Lake Isabella:
Paiute Nuui Cunni Native Interpretive Center displays local Native Americans’ baskets, decorated gourds, rugs, drawings, paintings, and photography.
French Gulch Group Recreation Area, Highway 155,
(760) 549-0800
Performing artists find inspiration here as well. To sooth the savagely starved music lover, the Sweet Adelines bestow their dulcet notes throughout the valley. The all-female group practices weekly the art of barbershop harmony, four-part style. The Kern Valley Community Orchestra and its jazzy subset, The Jazz Tones, also practice weekly, and perform at holiday concerts and special events during the year.
The Kern Valley’s own community theater group, Sierra Performing Arts, presents monthly Saturday Night concerts, a Young People’s Performing Arts Workshop, an adult chorale, an annual melodrama, and various productions and events throughout the year. Whitman’s Dance Studio in Lake Isabella loans limber, lyrical legs to many of these performances.
Contacts:
Sweet Adelines, (760) 376-4124
Kern Valley Community Orchestra and Kern Valley Jazz Tones,
(760) 376-4461
Sierra Performing Arts, (760) 379-1250;
www.sierraarts.net; sierraarts@yahoo.com
Whitman’s Dance Studio (760) 379-0033
