The Hidden Gallery

On Saturday, Sept. 6, we took a break from all our projects and went to friend Monica's Rendezvous. Every year she has a gathering of friends to celebrate the arts with performances and a potluck. This year she also had a retrospective showing of tapestries by the late Hal Painter, founder of the American Tapestry Association, in her Hidden Gallery.

The performances this year at the Rendezvous were nothing short of spectacular. Four actors (including Monica's actor husband J.P. Phillips) did a reading from the August Wilson play "Joe Turner's Come and Gone". Wonderful. Johnny snuck in a few photos. This one is of the actors inside the gallery. A couple of the tapestries are sort of visible behind them.

Also wonderful was the voice of opera soprano Erin G. McCarthy, the poetry of  Paulann Petersen, Oregon Poet Laureate Emerita, and the amazing voice, whistling and guitar playing of Edna Vasquez  performing her own compositions and more. What a privilege to attend such an event so close to home in a lovely, outdoor setting, among friends all united in their belief in the importance of art.

After the potluck, listening to the nature-oriented music of Edna Vasquez in the picnic grove.

The Hal Painter tapestry show will hang in the Hidden Gallery until the end of the month. Monica welcomes individuals or groups to come view it. Most of the tapestries on exhibit are for sale ... for the first time.

Monica herself is a talented artist: weaver and woodcarver. I only recently found this video interview on youtube done in 2011, as she explains her art and, in particular, the commissioned piece she did for the McMinnville Civic Hall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9b7AJvZguo

Oregon is home to many pretty amazing artists of all types. Kudos to Monica for showcasing their talents at her annual Rendezvous.