Finalist Artists Selected for River Reflections Arts Project

A “Creative California Communities” Project funded by the California Arts Council, implemented by AmadorArts, in partnership with Calaveras County Arts Council, the Foothill Conservancy, and East Bay Municipal Utility District.

Project Goals:

•        Encourage artists from Calaveras, Amador and the East Bay to learn about and explore the Upper Mokelumne Watershed.

•        Raise awareness about, and appreciation for, the Mokelumne River among the 1.4 million people who depend on its water.

•        Encourage visitors to come to the region to enjoy the river and area themselves

•        Create new collaborative relationships between local arts councils and community organizations

•        Bring grant funding, arts opportunities and economic development to our region

Finalist Artists Selected for River Reflections Arts Project

After a month-long Request for Qualifications, 50 artists from Amador and Calaveras counties and the East Bay have been selected to submit work for the next phase of “River Reflections,” a major arts project, funded by the California Arts Council, which will call attention to the importance of the Mokelumne River to our communities.  The artists will now have until December 5thto deliver their final creations for inclusion in month-long exhibits that will travel to three locations starting in January, 2015.

Artists will submit works which reflect the significance of the Mokelumne River, whether for water, irrigation, power, recreation or beauty.  They have been encouraged to push the limits of creativity. “Think outside the river.” To inspire artists in the coming months, complimentary guided river experiences will be provided, including a boat tour of Pardee Reservoir and a Plein Air day at Middle Bar Bridge.  Finalists will each receive a $200 stipend, potential cash awards, and the opportunity to sell their works during the exhibits and at the Grand Finale event in May, 2015.  The project and its artists will be documented in a video produced by Cole Productions and distributed statewide.

Six members of the Amador County Artists Association are finalists for this event:

Jewelers Marie Martz-Mort and Karen Crane

2-D artists Judy Day, Julie Trail, and Sandra Campbell; and Leslie Vasquez,

who will be submitting in both the 2-D and performance art categories.

On October 5, Crane, Day, Campbell and Vasquez

participated in the first of two day trips along the Mokelumne

in order to gain inspiration for their creations.

Leslie Vasquez