Meet Pamala Meador
The Art of Being Involved
Written By Jordan Rosenfeld
When Pamala Meador ’ s grandfather came to Morgan Hill from North Dakota in 1908 he declared it “ the most beautiful place in the world he ’ d ever seen ,” she says . A decade later , he brought his family back here to live . Meador , a Live Oak alum and fourthgeneration resident , is a living embodiment of her grandfather ’ s love of the town . Whether she ’ s helping install art projects around town as President of El Toro Culture & Arts and Culture and Art a la Carte , supporting non-profits as Secretary of the Morgan Hill Community Foundation or helping new residents find the home of their dreams as a realtor for Intero Realty , she regularly gives back to the community that formed her .
“ There ’ s a point in time when you have to decide whether Morgan Hill is your home , or your closet ,” she says . “ They ’ re equally good choices , but if it ’ s going to be your home , make it your home , get involved .”
Getting involved seems to come naturally to Meador , who enjoys spending time with people as much as she enjoys solitary time making her art . Meador obtained her undergraduate degree in sculpture at San Jose State University , exercised her administrative skills in Silicon Valley , made and sold art , and even worked for Warner Brothers selling animation cels of famous cartoon characters . As the granddaughter of the first woman to attend Stanford University , Mary Raney Kahn , entrepreneurial spirit runs in her genes . She holds three patents , with a fourth pending , in spatial imaging , with which she and her former husband started their online company , Duovu , where she is Vice President of Business Development . Duovu allows a visitor to go online and “ place ” art or collectibles in a virtual floorplan schematic to visualize how it would look .
Home , livelihood , and art are intricately woven together for Meador in all that she does . “ When you ’ re looking at selling a house or helping a buyer , it ’ s like sculpture ,” she says . “ You ’ re not just selling four walls and a roof , but the place where they ’ ll bring their children home , where they make memories . You bring a lot of elements together to paint a picture for them that will be their lives .”
Helping people to find a home is more than just a transaction to her . “ Selling is just finding a need , and filling it . So you have to be curious .”
Curiosity is perhaps the common driving force for most artists , and Meador likes to invite her audience in on the process . She set sculpture aside for painting , in which she loves to play with color and form , and enjoys actively painting at exhibitions where other artists are more likely to hang finished work . “ I like to demonstrate how a painting is created , because so many people think that art just happens , that you ’ re just inspired ; you sit down and a piece appears . It ’ s not that way ; there ’ s science to it , and structure . Within that structure you bring your creativity and your life .”
Great art only happens , she feels , “ when a viewer sees an image .” In other words , art requires interaction with viewers , and therefore its an important part of public consumption , especially sculpture because “ it lasts forever ” and can be done in big displays . “ We ’ re one of the last small towns in Silicon Valley , and we have the space to really do some great wonderful sculptural gardens ,” she says . She is eager to bring more of it to Morgan Hill . “ My passion for Morgan Hill is that we will have such great public art here that people will get off the freeway to come and see it .”
She points to two recent accomplishments that might help put Morgan Hill ’ s art scene on the map . First , a freshly commissioned installation at the entrance to the Morgan Hill Community & Cultural Center downtown , which she calls “ the bicycle sculpture ,” a larger than life red gateway comprised of bicycle spokes . Artist Blessing Hancock won the commission out of more than 100 applicants by paying homage to the unique geographical location of Morgan Hill , which sits on the crest of two creeks that run to the San Francisco and Monterey bays . Second , the forthcoming Tara Romero memorial sculpture , to commemorate a Morgan Hill teen who was tragically killed in a shooting . “ These people came in grieving and angry , and with no direction as to what they wanted to do ,” Meador says . “ Throughout a wonderful cooperative process with the city , the mayor , and the Culture and Arts Center , we made the commemorative art into something positive going forward . I ’ m proud to have been an instrumental part of that .”
Meador hopes others in town will follow her lead . “ I encourage anyone who wants to do something outside themselves to go where your passion leads you , because you ’ re needed .”
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GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN MARCH / APRIL 2016 gmhtoday . com