Open Wednesday - Sunday, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
There is always something happening at the Mendocino Art Center

Thousands of visitors are attracted to the region each year to attend the Art Center's annual events, including the Open House & Studios Tour in February, Mendocino Coast Garden Tour in June, the Summer Arts Fair in July and the Thanksgiving Arts Fair in November. The Sunday Afternoon Concert Series features professional musicians performing live in the Art Center's galleries several times each year and artist receptions are open to the public the second Saturday of each month.

 

CALLIGRAPHY DEMONSTRATION AND Q & A
Friday, May 9, 4 pm
Stevenson Studio, Mendocino Art Center • Free Admission

Keiko Takei, a well known calligraphy artist who lives in Omachi City, Japan, will do a calligraphy demonstration followed by a Q&A session. Takei is in Mendocino for the opening of Mendocino Art Center's May art exhibit, featuring jewelry, sculpture, textiles, calligraphy and more, by artists from Mendocino's sister city, Miasa-Omachi in Nagano Prefecture in Japan.

The Mendocino Art Center was recently the recipient of a beautiful calligraphy gift from Takei entitled "Torch Light" or "The Light from the Flame." She created the piece especially for the Art Center during a demonstration for the Mendocino Sister City exchange group.

Mendocino Art Center founder Bill Zacha and artist Toshi Yoshida formalized the sister city relationship in 1980.

"MY LIFE IN THE MOVIES" BOOK SIGNING WITH DAVE FRIEDMAN
Saturday, May 31, 1 pm - 4 pm
Free Admission

Author and still photographer Dave Friedman celebrates the release of his book documenting his life in the movies. The book, exclusively available locally at MAC, features 400 photographs from his award-winning archive, including images of some of celluloid's biggest stars, including Jack Nicholson, Robert Redford, Goldie Hawn, Bruce Lee, Steve McQueen, Barbara Stanwyck, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and many more. Of particular interest to Mendocino locals is a section devoted exclusively to the Mendocino-filmed "Summer of '42."

Dave Friedman is the only Still Photographer to be voted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Academy is a professional honorary organization of over 6,500 filmmakers whose achievements have place them at the top of their craft. Membership is by invitation only.

Throughout the month of May Friedman is showing a selection of his film photography in the Art Center's Nichols Gallery, including Steve McQueen in "The Hunter" and "Tom Horn," Bruce Lee in "Enter the Dragon," John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in "Grease," and Sylvester Stallone in "Rambo," as well as a trip down memory lane with town scenes from the Mendocino-filmed "Summer of '42."

16TH ANNUAL MENDOCINO COAST HOME & GARDEN TOUR
Saturday, June 21, 10 am - 5 pm
Garden Tour: $40 per person • Luncheon: $20 per person
707-937-5818 • 800-653-3328

"Garden Paradise," Julie A. Higgins

Garden and art lovers will enjoy a rare Mendocino Coast treat with a behind-the-scenes, self-guided tour of six beautiful north coast private gardens and four spectacular homes, with Mendocino Art Center's 16th Annual Mendocino Coast Garden Tour, "Garden Paradise."

• Walk through a beautiful garden and enter into a world-class home with an award-winning kitchen, all with an ocean view.

• Visit a woodland dream garden with a stone bridge and waterfall – a collector's garden.

• Tour a charming home, remodeled by a Berkeley native to remind her of the craftsman home she left behind.

• Sip lavender lemonade in the garden of a country farmhouse, nestled into the woods.

• Explore a spectacular family compound with two homes and an outdoor kitchen, with ocean views and beautifully groomed gardens.

• View Cafe Beaujolais' garden. New owners Kristy Bishop and David LaMonica, will host the Garden Tour luncheon this year. The price of the lunch ticket is $20, which includes a glass of 2005 Chardonnay from Navarro Vineyards.  Thank you Deborah Cahn and Ted Bennett. Lunch tickets will be limited, and reservations need to be made by June 16.

Garden Shop

The festivities will also include a garden shop and plant sale held amid the Art Center's own beautiful gardens. Look for a one-day sale on Mendocino Maples' gorgeous Japanese maples, and Descanso Nurseries' beautiful hydraengeas, plus some surprises.

Garden Tour Reception

The Little River Inn will host a reception on Friday, June 20, from 5 pm - 7 pm, at the Mendocino Art Center. Preview our Garden Shop and a show of small paintings by the Plein Air Painters of Mendocino, with depictions of the gardens on the tour. This is a free event for Garden Tour ticket holders.

Julie Higgins, Poster Artist

The Mendocino Art Center is pleased to have Mendocino artist Julie Higgins as this year's poster artist for the annual Garden Tour. Julie's lush and evocative landscapes are a perfect tie-in for the beautiful gardens on the Art Center tour. Posters will be available for sale in the Mendocino Art Center Gallery Shop.

The garden tour is the Mendocino Art Center's largest fund-raiser each year.

For more information visit our garden tour pages

49TH ANNUAL SUMMER ARTS & CRAFTS FAIR
July 12 & 13, 10 am - 5 pm
Free Admission

In what has become a Mendocino summer tradition, the Mendocino Art Center will host the 49th Annual Summer Arts & Crafts Fair in its beautiful outdoor garden setting.

Over 60 arts and crafts booths will display an exciting mixture of unique hand made artwork, including glass works, fiber wearables, hand-created jewelry, functional and sculptural ceramics, paintings, photography and much more.

The Fair will also include live local music and a food court with a variety of tasty treats, highlighted by Jennie Zacha's traditional delectable blackberry sundaes.

Download a Summer Arts Fair Exhibitor Application.

The Mendocino Art Center is a member of