Gilroy Today 2014 03 Spring | Page 14

The Birth Of A Local Art Group

Artist Marianne Eichenbaum

By
Laura Wrede

When professional artist Marianne Eichenbaum moved from Los Gatos to Gilroy a few years ago , she began looking for ways to get involved in Gilroy ’ s art scene . While wandering downtown she discovered the interim Gilroy Arts Alliance ( GAA ) and was excited to learn about the plans to build a modern art center . What she didn ’ t discover was a way to meet other professional artists ( as she had when she lived in Los Gatos ), or find galleries to exhibit art on a regular basis .

“ Gilroy isn ’ t really a sophisticated ‘ artsy ’ kind of community ,” a longtime resident told her . “ There really aren ’ t many artists here in the area . We ’ re more of a sleepy agricultural town . We don ’ t have many art galleries and things of that nature . This isn ’ t Los Gatos or Santa Cruz .” Marianne didn ’ t believe it .
The Future of Gilroy Gilroy certainly has a rich agricultural heritage , but as she looked around at the downtown and saw some of the public art - statues , murals , painted utility boxes - as well as the aesthetics of the sidewalks , landscape , and building designs , plus a wine bar , coffee house , the upscale boutiques , cafes , and restaurants coming in - no . Something is changing in this agricultural town - you just had to see the bigger picture .
With some of the other amenities in Gilroy , new housing , and future plans , what she saw was a town that is redefining itself as a destination . And destination towns always have art . And where there is art , there are artists . She just had to find them .
That ’ s when Marianne connected with a handful of other professional Bay Area artists to brainstorm how they could become part of this new vision . How could she connect with other artists in the area and start introducing more art to Gilroy ? With the help of her friends , Marianne decided to create a new nonprofit group : Northern California Art Fusion ( NCAF ).
Why Northern California Art Fusion ? “ We are a group that extends beyond the borders of Gilroy ,” said Marianne . “ We are headquartered here , but we are already discovering professional artists in Monterey , Hollister , San Jose , and San Francisco who are interested in joining . Art has no borders . We want to pull in art from all over and bring it here to the South County .”
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