With spring in full swing and Marinites ready to socialize again now that lockdown is over and vaccinations and boosters are readily available, what better way to begin revitalizing the community than by attending Mill Valley’s next First Tuesday ArtWalk on May 3? None whatsoever. But don’t take my word for it. Listen to the locals.
For the upcoming First Tuesday, Robert Green (his Robert Green Fine Arts gallery is a long-time ArtWalk staple) says his gallery will feature work by Jane Cook, an artist who lives and works out of Santa Fe, NM, who uses a unique, handmade mineral pigment on canvas when painting. Green says ArtWalk was very popular until Covid hit, but that event traffic slowed down noticeably during the pandemic. He looks forward to seeing both old and new faces next week.
David Dubin, outreach and marketing management analyst for Mill Valley Recreation, says that Mill Valley Arts Commission’s First Tuesday ArtWalk runs all year long—except for the month of January. A wide variety of art will show next month at participating venues, including an Active Adult 50+ Art Exhibit at the Mill Valley Community Center. ArtWalk staples include O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, Mill Valley Public Library, Throckmorton Theatre, Mill Valley’s City Hall and Chamber of Commerce and Community Center, as well as local galleries including Kim Eagles-Smith Gallery, Desta Gallery, Seager Gray Art Gallery and more. Stop by for art, conversation, snacks and beverages. Most participating venues are within walking distance of each other, as the majority of them are located downtown.
In addition, this year a new venue is being made available to the public. “We launched a brand-new public art space in March of this year that we call Rotating Art in the Depot Plaza, which currently houses the ‘From…To…’ piece by Oakland-based artist Valentin Popov,” Dubin says. “This is a new pilot program sponsored by the Mill Valley Arts Commission as part of their Art in Public Places initiative, with the support of the Depot Café and Bookstore. A new art piece will be installed and unveiled in July. Artwork is presented on the exterior wall of the Depot building, visible at the corner of Miller Avenue and Throckmorton Avenue.”
Dubin says that a downloadable pdf guide to the monthly ArtWalk is usually posted to this link: millvalleyrecreation.org/824/First-Tuesday-ArtWalk by the Friday preceding each event.
Marley Townsend, assistant manager at the Depot Café and Bookstore, says that in addition to supporting the new Rotating Art display, the bookstore hosts a reception with a featured artist and accompanying exhibit in the cafe every First Tuesday, and that the art stays up all month.
Although the California state indoor-masking mandate—which required universal indoor masking regardless of vaccination status—was lifted as of Feb. 16, California Department of Public Health face-covering guidance remains in effect for the county. Masks continue to be strongly recommended for all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, in all indoor public spaces. All event attendees are asked to follow legal and common-sense safety protocols in order to enhance everyone’s experience.
Green, for one, is ready to see business return to normal.
“People need to lead their lives,” he tells me during a phone call. “We need to recover.”
