Art Exhibition to be Held for Local Artists

by Julie Lee

The Pacific Union College presents "Premiere," a juried art exhibition that will feature the work of artists in the Howell Mountain area. The showing will open with a reception on Saturday, January 10, from 7-9 p.m., and will continue through Sunday, February 8.

Premiere's goal is to demonstrate the existence of an artistically creative community living and/or working in the Howell Mountain area of the Napa valley. Thomas Morphis, an art professor at PUC and director of the Rasmussen Art Gallery, hopes that the exhibition will bring more exposure to lesser-known individuals while also profiling the more well-known artists from the area.

"To my knowledge, this is the first exhibition to feature the artists within the Howell Mountain area," says Morphis. "I'm very excited about it, and I hope we get a lot of entries."

The artwork to be displayed will be chosen by three professional artists from outside the area. There is no entry fee, and the gallery takes no commission on sales. Interested buyers will be referred directly to the artist.

To be eligible for the exhibition, entrants must live and/or work in the area of Howell Mountain, bordered by the Silverado Trail on the west and Pope Valley Road on the east. Professional artists and visually creative individuals who do not make a living selling art are encouraged to enter. Faculty of the PUC art department and current PUC students are not eligible to enter. Each person may submit a maximum of two entries.