The Gallery of Highland is Open at The Highland Center

The Gallery of Highland has opened at The Highland Center in Monterey.  It’s a new location where Highland artists can display and sell their work.   Bonnie Baxley is a member of the Board of Directors at The Highland Center and she spearheaded the idea of the gallery.

“This idea came to me, because there would be art in certain places around the county and around the town, but there was no centralized place for any of the artists to put their items,” says Baxley.  “So, this was a way to make it a coordinated effort, in a centralized place, for the artists and the authors to put their items, but it also is a go to place for any visitors who come into the county.  It gives them another activity to participate in.”

“We have a lovely, large selection of different types of art,” says Baxley.  “We have copper etchings and prints and watercolor and oils and wool, pictures that are made out of wool.  We have wool sculptures.  We have basketry.  We have some beautiful baskets.  We also have stained glass.  We have some collages and then some photography and some silkscreens, some beautiful silkscreens and ink on rice art that’s been done, Asian art.  We are also featuring any authors in the county that have written books and we are inviting them to place their books here into the gallery to sell as well.”

The Gallery of Highland is open daily 11 to 4 and it is open until 6 on Fridays during the Farmers Market.   It will also be open during special events at The Highland Center.

“My thought was that there was need for a centralized place, but one of the catalysts behind it was Susan Blanchard had bequeathed some money to The Highland Center and she wrote ‘Do something good with this’, something to that effect,” says Baxley.  “Susan was such an active part of the art community, that we used some of the money that she had donated to get this gallery up and running.”

The Gallery of Highland has been open for about a month with a soft opening.  The official grand opening event “A Toast to the Opening of The Gallery of Highland” is Friday, July 30, from 6 to 8pm.

“We have so much talent here in the county,” says Baxley.  “You know people are doing art and they are doing creative things and it might be hit or miss that you actually know of someone that’s creative.  So, this is an important way for everyone in the county to realize the wealth of talent we have and also for the talent to be able to share their gifts.”

For more information, contact The Highland Center at 540-468-1922.