thank yous

As the city embarks on the creation of a Strategic Plan to sustain an Emeryville Arts and Cultural Center that will one day (soon) be our permanent home, I would like to thank Operating Committee member Dan McNevin of TMG Partners for all of his phone calls made on our behalf that allowed us to land at 5815 Shellmound Way this year.

But Dan is not alone in his contribution of energy and thoughtful planning with the goal of making our event just a little better each year. A most sincere thank you to committee members Linda Lee Boyd, Pam Mendelsohn, and Frances Gaston who juggle the scheduling of over 100 volunteers; and Jean Goldman, Albert Repola, and Kurt Brinkman who make our opening reception the “not-to-be-missed” event of the year in Emeryville. Members Dan Carlevaro, Elyse Klaidman, Dick Kassis, Kava Massih, and Gwen Souza do whatever is needed to support these subcommittees. In addition, Linda Boyd has created a beautiful website and handles so many details behind the scenes that help our event run smoothly.

Shane Clabaugh has been generously loaned to us by All Emeryville Properties to solicit all the great reception treats and Jim Golden makes his rounds each year to be sure they all arrive on time. This year, Marella Pedersen has joined me in my “office”. Bright, resourceful, organized, creative, and knows her way around a computer…what more could anyone ask for? Thank you, Marella!

Curator Paul Tomidy is simply amazing to me in his development of an exhibition space from the ground up combined with his professional skills and experience that lead the viewer seamlessly through the over 90 works of art in this year’s exhibition. Dan Ziegler's bold and classy graphics for the 22nd Annual are receiving nothing but kudos and, as our publicist, Genevieve Antaky has found new avenues for spreading the word of Emeryville’s vibrant arts community.

Special thanks to BRE Properties, Inc. and John Wayland, Vice-President of Development, for providing us with exhibition space and allowing us to introduce the community to their newly renovated East Bay Corporate offices. John Wayland and YuSun Han for BRE, along with Amy Nielsen of Harvest Properties have provided us with support at every turn. Roger Bash and Bashland Builders had an active roll in the transformation of our space.

The Exhibition does not exist without the strong support of our City Council and City staff, the generosity of our business community, and hundreds of loyal volunteers. Thank you to all of you this year and for the past 22 years. City Manager Patrick O'Keeffe, Economic Development Director Helen Bean, Lisa Sullivan, Karen Hemphill, and Mike Mahoney's efforts on our behalf this year are sincerely appreciated. We are fine-tuning our "zero waste" reception with the help of the city's Marcy Greenhut and Peter Schultze-Allen.

With the support of everyone mentioned here, and at least 100 additional volunteers, the arts are thriving and embraced in our city and we hope you have a sense of this as you experience the 22nd Annual Emeryville Art Exhibition. Enjoy!

Sharon Wilchar
Project Coordinator