COLUSA, Calif. (MPG) — The Colusa County Arts Council will host the opening reception for its upcoming exhibition, “Time + Space”, from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17, at the Arts Council Gallery, 151 Fifth St. in Colusa.
“Time + Space” highlights work created through the Social Studies Artist Residency, an Arbuckle based project centered on a straightforward question: What happens when artists are given the time and space to focus on their practice.
The residency was developed to give artists the freedom to explore ideas in an unfamiliar rural setting, without pressure to produce a specific outcome.
“The idea of making time and making space became the ethos of the residency,” said co directors Sierra Reading and Ross Roadruck. “That concept has continued to sustain the project and the artists who participate in it.”
The exhibition features work by nine artists from the Sacramento Valley and Bay Area, making it one of the residency’s most diverse groupings to date. The artists include Trevor Dahm, Sarah McColl, Michelle Fleck, Lindsay Stripling, Corinne Smith, Paige Raina Davis, Ren Allathkani, Jonathan Jackson and Emily Gui.
Visitors can expect a wide range of mediums, including photography, writing, painting, printmaking, textiles, animation and drawing.
“Many of the artists work across disciplines rather than within a single medium, allowing the ideas behind each piece to guide the materials and approach,” they said.
Social Studies Artist Residency began in 2019 as an experimental collaboration hosted in the backyard of Reading and Roadruck’s home in Arbuckle.
“The project blends elements of an artist in residence program, public art initiative and collaborative studio,” they said.
Colusa County was selected as the residency setting largely because it is home for the project’s founders. Reading and Roadruck said working in a smaller, unfamiliar place often encourages artists to think differently, complete long delayed projects or begin new work with a fresh perspective.
While residents typically stay only one week, the project has led to lasting connections within the community.
“Several artists have returned to Colusa County to complete public art projects, including murals throughout the county,” they said.
Past residents have also engaged with local students, including classroom visits at Pierce High School, and participated in tours highlighting local agriculture and industry.
Several of the featured artists are expected to attend the Jan. 17 opening reception, giving visitors the opportunity to speak directly with them about their work and residency experience. The exhibition will remain on view from Jan. 17 through March 17.
Reading and Roadruck said they hope audiences leave the exhibition with a deeper appreciation for Colusa County’s creative potential.
“Colusa County is a small community, but it is an active one,” they said. “There are meaningful opportunities here for artists and for people who want to engage with art close to home.”