Arts & Entertainment

Mark Twain Library's Art Show is Coming Soon

Written by Jen Wastrom

The Mark Twain Library is an unusual one. Unusual because it is the only library founded by Mark Twain himself, one of America’s most celebrated authors ... and unusual because it serves the small town of Redding in ways beyond the conventional. That’s how Mark Twain wanted it, and his dream is very much alive and well today.

When Twain moved to Redding in 1907 he immediately realized this little farming enclave not only needed a library, it also needed a community hub.  A place where friends and neighbors could gather to exchange ideas.  So when the doors of his library were eventually opened, Reddingites welcomed it with open arms.  In addition to sharing the few thousand books Twain donated from his own shelves, folks attended regular dances; concerts… even quilting bees at their beloved library.

A century later, the Mark Twain Library is still so much more than a place to borrow books, to research or to read.  Our mission statement stresses cultural and intellectual activities as a definitive purpose for the library’s existence as set forth by our illustrious founder, and we continue to enhance and expand upon this goal.

Our annual Art Show is the centerpiece of these efforts. 

For the past 40 years, the Mark Twain Library has transformed itself into a gallery space for one week in December to spotlight the works of artists local and beyond. The Art Show has grown in size and scope; today the juried show features over 125 artists and a variety of mediums.  It typically opens the first weekend in December with a Preview Gala on Friday evening, is then open to the public for a week during library hours. 35% of the cost of each work sold is donated to the Library.  Hundreds of people of all ages flock to the Library for the annual Art Show, some just to experience the abundance of creativity, others hopefully to purchase a treasure. 

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Most importantly, however, the Art Show is also one of four major fund-raising initiatives we count on each year to cover a significant portion of the Library’s annual operating budget.  

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The Mark Twain Library is an Association Library. It receives between 60% and 65% of its operating budget each year of from the Town of Redding, and is responsible for raising the rest on its own.  The Art Show is key to accomplishing this weighty undertaking. 

 

But the Art Show’s success has proven to be rather vulnerable in recent years. Variables that are impossible to control such as weather, donations of paintings (in terms of quality and quantity), and the public’s charitable mindset have all led to a decrease in revenue.  We have optimistically budgeted to earn $38,000 this year. 

 

The Mark Twain Library’s annual Art Show is organized and executed solely by volunteers who work for months soliciting artists, developing a theme, and marketing the event.  Then, a few days before the show, the Library is transformed into a gallery space with dozens of free standing panels on which the show is hung.  This is a gargantuan and painstaking task.

But then the magic begins.  According to artist Pam Reese, one of the volunteers responsible for submissions and the hanging of the show, “The Library’s Art Show makes art accessible to all.  Many do not regularly visit galleries, but for one week a year, the Library becomes a place for people to view fine art in a relaxed and comprehensible setting.  It is also an amazing opportunity to purchase fine art, as some of our prominent artists offer their work at prices lower than their galleries’ to encourage sales to benefit the Library.” 

And internationally renowned sculptor Marc Mellon stated, “The Mark Twain Library Art Show is exceptional because first and foremost, it helps support our great local resource, the library. There is always a great buzz throughout ... a real celebration of our town, our local talent, and the warmth and beauty that is Redding.”

The Mark Twain Library Art Show represents the best of Redding.  It showcases the creativity that abounds here, and the passion of dedicated neighbors to each other and the town.  The Library is a wonderful example of all that is good about Redding, and the Art Show is the quintessential example of all that is good about the Mark Twain Library.


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