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Open Minds

by Laura Reiley

My first paid job was as a museum guard at the Aldrich Museum of Modern Art. Hands clasped behind my back, bouncing lightly on the balls of my feet, I looked for sculpture-fondling, painting-poking perpetrators. Retribution must be swift. "Step away from the painting" was my battle cry. Much as it is today when, as a parent, I take children to a gallery or museum. The art is over there, we are over here. We are the audience, politely deciphering and appreciating at a safe distance.

Every year, Silicon Valley Open Studios changes all that. This weekend in Cupertino, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Stanford and Sunnyvale, artists fling open their doors to let the public peer into their process, fondle their materials and sometimes even try their hand at a bit of art. The annual event allows children a rare chance to see artists in their natural habitats, to take art out of the rarefied and hushed environment of a museum and gallery.

Artist Martha Castillo has participated in Open Studios for years. (Her studio is at 772 Clara Drive in Palo Alto.)

"It wasn't a conscious decision I made, to be kid-friendly. It just evolved. I do primarily abstracts and I work in acrylic, mixed media and monotype printmaking. Kids respond to my work very well, because I use bright colors, I think. I ask them, 'What do you think? What do you see there?'"

She puts out oversized notepads of paper for the kids, with crayons and art materials. But it's not just her enthusiasm for young ones that has prompted her child-friendly stance.

"In some ways it's selfish -- if the kids are happy, the parents will stay longer. But I think it's important to have materials that are accessible to kids -- I like to work large and I don't see why kids should have to have little paper."

Silicon Valley Open Studios is part of a worldwide program that acquaints the general public, art enthusiasts, collectors and others with the variety of works created by the artists who live and/or work in our area. For parents, it provides a unique opportunity to have a guided tour through the world of visual expression.

Here's what to do: Visit www.svopenstudios.org as a family. You can scroll through pictures of all the artists' work. As a family, you can pinpoint work that excites you, then click on the pictures to find out the studios' locations. Letting the kids choose some of stops along your route gives them an added sense of excitement. (If computer access is a problem, zip by a local art store such as Accent Arts and University Art for the Open Studios free map and catalog.)

The sheer variety of artworks makes the experience illuminating for children -- they can choose between handmade books, calligraphy, ceramics, digital imaging, fiber, glass, jewelry, mixed media, assemblages, paintings (oil, acrylic, pastel, oil pastel, watercolor), drawings (graphite, ink, color pencil), photography, printmaking, sculpture and collage.

Palo Alto artists Barbara Oertli and Linda Tapscott even let the kids in on a collage project. (Their studio is at 1027 Alma Street in Palo Alto.)

"We're doing a community collage project," says Tapscott. "Setting up the framework for the collage project, we're asking kids to bring found objects to my studio -- sticks, leaves, feathers, pebbles, pennies, nuts and bolts, anything you find on the ground. We'll demonstrate how I do collage, the process, the materials we use to create a collage. Then visitors can do it themselves or we'll help them and demo the process."

A member of Artists for Open Space, Tapscott hopes to sell the resulting piece, with proceeds going to support open space in the Bay Area.

"The process of creating a collage is a onetime experience; it is quick, free flowing and lots of fun," says Tapscott. "By sharing this experience with the community, we hope people will look at nature with a keener eye, and appreciate its beauty." Both Tapscott and Oertli use nature as their inspiration and source for their collage art.

"Artists open their doors, everyone brings cookies. It's home-grown, but such a nice way to see emerging artists," says Carol Fields, daughter of Open Studios participant, Laverne Broadbent, who does work with discarded materials. (Her studio is Studio U7 at Cubberley Community Center in Palo Alto.)

"Many of these artists are seniors, slaving away in the spirit of the starving artist, and Open Studios give them a little more visibility-it's great seeing artists in their own environment. In past years, the artists have invited kids to come in and do their own painting, with lots of hands-on exploration opportunities."

In all of the studios at Cubberley-a former school-visitors can see artists working on painting, collage, textile work and interesting sculptures of steel and stones.

"It's not like going to a gallery," Fields notes. "It's seeing artists in their own environment, seeing where they get their inspiration, and having an opportunity to speak about their work, up close and personal."

And no one has to step away from the painting.
What: Silicon Valley Open Studios
Where Some locations include: Accent Arts 392 California Ave., Palo Alto, 424-1044 Atherton Gallery 1616 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, 321-5759 Bryant St. Gallery 520 Bryant St., Palo Alto, 321-8155 Gallery 9 143 Main Street, Los Altos, 941-7969 Gallery House 320 California Ave., Palo Alto, 650/526-1668 HANG 432 University Ave., Palo Alto, 650/752-0250 Los Altos Camera Main Street, Los Altos, 415/948-1611 Main Library 13 S.San Antonio Road, Los Altos, 650/948-7683 Pacific Art League 668 Ramona St., Palo Alto, 650/321-3891 Palo Alto Art Center 1313 Newell Rd., Palo Alto, 650/329-2366 Redwood City Art Center 2625 Broadway, Redwood City Starbucks 654 Los Altos Rancho, Los Altos, 650/917-1359 The Main Gallery 1118 Main St., Redwood City, 650/701-1018 University Art Center 267 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto, 650/328-3500 Viewpoints Gallery 315 State St., Los Altos, 650/941-5789 ZYT Gallerie 923 N. San Antonio Rd., Los Altos, 650/948-4363

When April 26 and 27, at most places 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cost: Admission is free.

Call: 562-1949.