Spring 2008 - Yosemite Conservancy

BY DAVID GUY
ART CONNECTING PEOPLE
TO YOSEMITE
Yosemite has long been a playground and palette
for artists. Some of the earliest works from
Yosemite include sketches made by Thomas Ayres
in 1855; the grand Thomas Hill paintings now seen in
Sacramento’s Crocker Art Museum and the Oakland
Museum of California; the moody Albert Bierstadt paintings
that captured romantic sensibilities on the East
Coast; and the Gunnar Widforss watercolors that grace
The Ahwahnee Hotel. In more recent times, Yosemite
has drawn artists such as Chiura Obata, whose watercolors
and sumi ink on silk stretch the mind and soul;
Ansel Adams, whose photographs are now synonymous
with the park; and of course the artists of today, who
come to Yosemite to work in every season of every year.
No medium seems to capture the magic and spirit of
Yosemite better than the views through an artist’s eyes.
This March, the Yosemite Art and Education Center
opened for another season to celebrate art and the powerful
imagery associated with this special landscape. We
hope that you will join us in Yosemite Valley to participate
in the Center’s many scheduled activities. The Association
continues to invite a broad array of artists to be the
Center’s artist-in-residence for one week, where they live,
eat and drink art by teaching their particular calling. Each
resident will teach art classes that are free to the public
and have the opportunity to display their art in the Center.
In doing so, they help to inspire a deeper connection to
Yosemite. We will also be offering receptions throughout
the summer to both celebrate art in Yosemite and showcase
the work of the artists-in-residence. With your help,
we aspire to fully utilize the Center as a classroom, studio,
gallery and gathering place to celebrate art in Yosemite.
The Yosemite Art and Education Center gets a new sign.
MICHELLE HANSEN
YOSEMITE ASSOCIATION, SPRING 2008
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