February 2025 Collagraph

Art of the Month

Art Making Reception Feb 8th 4-6pm

Artist of the Month: Record Night & Card Making

Instead of our usual Artist of the Month feature, we’re celebrating the power of connection and creativity with a special evening at the Elsie May Goodwin Gallery!

"Record Night & Card Making" is a chance for the community to come together, reflect, and create. Enjoy the backdrop of curated vinyl records and playlists, as you take time to craft heartfelt letters and cards.

Whether you’re writing words of affirmation for yourself, crafting valentines for loved ones, or reconnecting with someone you’ve lost touch with, this night is all about expression. Your messages—written or typed—are a reminder of the connections we share and the impact our words can have.

Leave a Letter for the Community

Feel free to leave a letter on the gallery wall for others to read throughout the month. It’s a space where your thoughts, reflections, and messages of love, encouragement, or hope can inspire others, creating a tapestry of shared experience and sentiment for the community to enjoy.

As we come together for this creative evening, we’re reminded that art isn’t always about the finished piece—it’s about the connections we make, the words we share, and the creativity we express in even the simplest of forms.

Event Highlights

🎵 Curated vinyl records and playlists to set the mood
💌 Stations for creating cards and letters
📝 Express your thoughts—affirmations, valentines, or reconnections
📜 Leave a message on the gallery wall to be read by the community throughout the month
☕ Light refreshments to enjoy as you create

If you have a letter made (handwritten or typed), you can bring it to the gallery in person starting February 6th or mail it now! Drop it through our mail slot at any time, or mail it directly to our address—we love stamps!

When:

📅 Saturday, February 8th, 2025
⏰ 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Where:

📍 Elsie May Goodwin Gallery
1902 Pacific Ave, Stockton, CA 95204

Cost:

💲 Suggested $5 donation for supplies

Additional Details:

This is a free and open event for everyone in the community. Whether you're new to crafting or just looking for a creative outlet, come out, enjoy some music, and connect with others through words and art.

STOCKTON ART LEAGUE // GOODWIN GALLERY presents this exhibition. Free and open to the public, this is a great opportunity to explore local talent and support the arts community!

In Addition
On View at Goodwin Gallery

Art and Poem Collaboration by Brian Paris and Michael C Ford 

Director's Corner

Dear Stockton Art League Members,

As we move further into 2025, I want to take a moment to recognize the ways we show up for creativity—not just in the work we produce, but in the ways we support, encourage, and uplift one another. Art is more than an individual pursuit; it’s a shared experience, shaped by the voices, expressions, and connections we make along the way. Whether you are deep into your creative practice or just beginning to explore new ideas, know that your voice matters, your work matters, and this community thrives because of the perspectives and creativity each of you brings.

To celebrate this spirit of expression, we invite you to Record Night & Card Making on February 8th. It’s an evening to slow down, enjoy the warmth of music, and put thoughts into words—whether that means writing a letter to yourself, making a valentine for a loved one, or reconnecting with someone through a handwritten note. We’ll have records playing, stations for card-making, and a space to share messages on our gallery wall—little reminders of encouragement, love, and creativity left for others to find throughout the month. However you choose to express yourself, this night is about the simple joy of creating, connecting, and sharing.

We also want to take a moment to express our gratitude to the Raymus Foundation for their generous support, which has allowed us to purchase new lightweight chairs, a movie projector, and a speaker system. These additions will improve our workshops, film screenings, and community events, making our space even more welcoming and accessible. We’re excited for all the ways these new resources will help us grow, and we look forward to sharing them with you.

So, as you move through this month, I encourage you to embrace your creative voice—share it with us on social media, leave a message on our gallery wall, or simply take a moment to reflect on what creativity means to you. No matter how small, every act of expression is valuable, and we’re grateful to have you as part of this community.

Looking forward to another month of inspiration and connection.

With appreciation,

Jessica 

Next Pickup & Drop off
Membership Show
February 27
February 28
March 1

If you are still interested or know other artists, please  use the form or email [email protected]

Call for Submissions: Women Artists for Women’s History Month Event

The Stockton Art League is excited to announce an open call for women artists and advocates for Women’s History Month to participate in a special exhibition celebrating Women’s History Month! This event aims to honor and showcase the creative talents of women and those who support and celebrate the contributions of women to the arts and society, providing a platform to share their unique perspectives and stories.

Details for Submission:

• Deadline to Submit: February 18
• Submission Limit: The first 48 artists to sign up
• Artwork Guidelines:
  • One (1) piece per participant
  • Maximum size: 8x8 inches
  • All mediums are welcome
  • Artwork must be original
• Entry Fee: None

Event Information:

• Reception Date: March 8, from 4–6 PM
• Location: Goodwin Gallery, 1902 Pacific Avenue, Stockton, CA 95204

Exhibition Display:
Artwork will be on display at the Goodwin Gallery for the entire month of March, allowing the community to celebrate and reflect on the creativity, strength, and impact of women through art.

This is an exciting opportunity to celebrate women artists and advocates, connect with the community, and be part of a vibrant and inspiring exhibition. Whether you're a painter, sculptor, photographer, or work in any other medium, we welcome your creative voice and support for Women’s History Month.

To reserve your spot, scan the QR code on the event flyer or email Kat at [email protected]. 

We look forward to seeing your work and celebrating Women’s History Month together!

Awareness of Policy Changes with the National Endowment for the Arts

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has announced significant changes to its funding programs, notably discontinuing the Challenge America grants, which have historically supported small arts organizations in underserved communities. The NEA will now prioritize projects that commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

At the Local Level
For organizations like the Stockton Art League, which benefited from the Arts Engagement in American Communities Grant Program in 2021 to support workshops at the Goodwin Gallery and collaborations with other art spaces, this shift could have substantial implications. Given that San Joaquin County has historically faced challenges in securing arts funding—due to factors such as limited competitiveness, a shortage of grant writers, and the absence of strong state and local partnerships—the discontinuation of programs aimed at underserved areas may further limit funding opportunities.

It's important to note that such significant changes from the NEA are uncommon without prior discussions or webinars. Usually in the occasion to celebrate national milestones, additional grant programs would be added and grant award amounts would be adjusted. Organizations should stay informed about these federal changes, as they will impact how programming can be planned and executed moving forward.

More than just Nonprofits and Education Entities
The discontinuation of Challenge America grants and similar funding shifts at the NEA will not only impact organizations like the Stockton Art League but also individual artists and the broader public who benefit from arts programming. Without these grants, small and mid-sized arts nonprofits may struggle to offer free or low-cost workshops, exhibitions, and community events, limiting access to artistic experiences, especially in historically underfunded areas like San Joaquin County.

This change may reduce opportunities for artists to showcase their work, receive stipends for community engagement, and contribute to a thriving local arts scene. While alternative funding sources may emerge, these federal changes will reshape how artists, nonprofits, and communities interact with and sustain the arts moving forward.

Membership Renewal Portal

The Stockton Art League and Goodwin Gallery: A Community Legacy for 2025

2025 Membership Update

As we begin 2025, the Stockton Art League and Goodwin Gallery remain dedicated to enriching lives and strengthening our community through the arts. More than just a space to showcase creativity, the gallery serves as a cultural hub where artists and art enthusiasts connect, inspire, and grow together.

For individuals, the gallery provides opportunities for personal expression, professional development, and meaningful engagement with the arts. As a community, the presence of the Stockton Art League and Goodwin Gallery ensures access to diverse exhibitions, educational programs, and events that celebrate our shared history and creativity.

Our presence in Stockton is a testament to the city's commitment to fostering artistic expression and cultural vitality. Together, we look forward to continuing to create a place where art thrives and brings people together.

Membership Renewal Announcement

We are launching a new membership tracking program! Members will receive renewal announcements 60 days before their membership expires. Some 2024 memberships are listed but are not set to renew within the next 60 days. If you have any questions about your membership status, feel free to reach out.

2025 Membership

Membership Online Directory

Stockton Art League Awarded almost $9,000 from Stockton Arts Commission Grant for the Youth Art Program and new workshops

San Joaquin County

Strengthening the Arts Through Collaboration

The Stockton Art League (SAL) has long been dedicated to enriching the arts in our community, and we are excited to share how our alignment with the newly established San Joaquin Arts Council will further serve both our membership and the broader Stockton area. This emerging partnership represents a significant step toward uniting the artistic community across the region and building a stronger foundation for creativity and cultural engagement.

For our members, this collaboration means increased access to resources, knowledge-sharing opportunities, and new platforms to showcase your work. The Arts Council’s mission to promote and support artists, arts organizations, and cultural initiatives aligns closely with SAL’s goals of providing artistic development and professional opportunities. Together, we will seek funding to address gaps in programming, advocate for the arts as a vital part of our community, and create pathways for growth that benefit individual artists and the larger arts ecosystem.

This partnership will also strengthen our connection with other community organizations, allowing SAL to collaborate on projects that amplify the impact of the arts in Stockton. By working alongside other cultural partners and leveraging shared resources, we will continue to expand the reach of the Stockton Art League and ensure that the arts remain a thriving and accessible part of our city’s identity.

We look forward to bringing these enhanced opportunities to our members and the community as we take this important step in strengthening the arts in Stockton and San Joaquin County. Together, we can build a vibrant future for the arts.

San Joaquin Council Meetings 
1st and 3rd Fridays 4-5pm

MISSION:

1. To Promote and Support ALL artists, art organizations, and cultural bearers in San Joaquin County.
2. Create Grants to artists, art organizantions and cultural bearers in San Joaquin County.
3. To host Poetry Out Loud sponsored by the California Arts Council.

2024 SAN JOAQUIN COMMUNITY SURVEY ON ARTS, CULTURE, AND CREATIVITY

Please provide input on forming a Local Arts Agency to represent San Joaquin County (SJC) in partnership with the California Arts Council, a state agency, arts.ca.gov.
 

With support from the California Arts Council, Amador County Arts Council (Amador Arts) has been charged to mentor the creative community of San Joaquin County (SJC) in the development and establishment of a county arts council to participate in the State-Local Partner grant https://arts.ca.gov/grant_program/state-local-partners/. This program directs state funds to each county and provides for local arts and cultural resources, the national Poetry Out Loud recitation competition for high school students, local arts and cultural grants, and partnerships within the network of State-Local Partners.

San Joaquin County-based Creatives, Artists, Arts organizations, Arts students, Teaching Artists, Cultural Practitioners, Cultural Centers, and arts and culture lovers of all disciplines and ages are invited to participate in this public survey. Your feedback is essential to planning an arts council that will best serve the entire community of SJC and represent the SJC creative economy and cultural landscape at the state level.

Upcoming Workshops

Do you want to host your own event? 

Youth Art Program

This dynamic program is designed for young artists eager to explore their creativity and learn new skills in a supportive environment. Over the course of five weeks, participants will engage in hands-on projects and connect with fellow aspiring artists.

🗓️ Saturdays - March 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th
Ages 7-11 10-11:30 AM
Ages 12-17 1-2:30 PM
$35 for all 5 classes

In part funded by a City of Stockton Arts Commission grant. Itinerary coming soon!

Art Opportunities

On View
- Local and Regional Works

Reynolds Gallery

Catalyst Studio

Haggin Museum

San Joaquin Historical Museum

Our Neighbors are Busy!

Sakura Hibachi Catering Restaurant

Wednesdays at Whirlows /
TAPS Barrel House

1926 Pacific Ave

BEER * MUSIC * BINGO

SFMOMA, San Francisco

Pier 24 Photography

Pier 24 is one of the largest venues in the world dedicated to viewing photography. Since its inception it has always been free to view the comprehensive collection of more than 5,000 works by 500 photographers, all purchased by the Pilara Foundation.

The gallery space is nearly 27,000 square feet and attendance has always been by reservation and limited, to provide the viewer a serene experience while looking at the Pilara collection, along with other private collections on loan, like that of Bob and Randi Fisher.

The staff only mounts one exhibition per year, while also co-sponsoring the Larry Sultan Visiting Artist Program, with the California College of the Arts. Pier 24 has also published 20 books on photography.

Excerpt: TURNING THE PAGE

As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. In its more than ten years, Pier 24 Photography has exhibited many thousands of photographs, and thus hundreds of thousands of hypothetical words. Up until now, every show has begun with the Pilara Foundation Collection and expanded from there. Turning the Page is the first exhibition that does not feature works from our collection. Instead, it looks at and celebrates the photobook, a medium that has undergone its own renaissance parallel to our years in operation. Each of the galleries presents works from a distinct photobook, whether an iconic volume or a recent monograph. The content, sequence, and design of each selected book guided our approach to that particular installation, aiming for a thoughtful translation of its overall tone and intent. Ultimately, Turning the Page invites you to consider how the viewing context impacts our understanding of a photographic project.

Among the classic works represented here are Robert Frank’s Les Américains (The Americans, 1958), Masahisa Fukase’s Karasu (Ravens, 1986), Larry Sultan’s Pictures from Home (1992), and Jim Goldberg’s Raised by Wolves (1995)—four photobooks that speak to the breadth of the medium across the second half of the twentieth century. Many consider The Americans so influential that every photobook since has been either in conversation with it or in rebellion against it. Ravens trades Frank’s restless questioning of the American dream for a dark, introspective processing of grief in the aftermath of Fukase’s divorce; both demonstrate how image sequencing can evoke feeling and narrative. Pictures from Home and Raised by Wolves build upon these precedents, combining image sequence, page layout, and text to tell powerful stories and reveal certain truths.

Over the past twenty years, photobooks have become increasingly essential to many photographers, offering a distinctive medium for fully realizing their visions—often pushing the boundaries of the book form along the way. This approach to design and layout extends to how several of the featured photographers have installed works from their projects. Few artists have explored the photobook’s range as extensively as Rinko Kawauchi, whose Ametsuchi (2013) unifies book design with her project’s concept and visual content; her lyrical installation echoes the sequence and design within her book’s pages. Vasantha Yogananthan’s A Myth of Two Souls (2016–21) is a series of seven individual yet related photobooks, one for each chapter of the Hindu epic the Ramayana, upon which the project is loosely based. The design of Rose Marie Cromwell’s El Libro Supremo de la Suerte (2018) is based on Cuban charadas—small photocopied pamphlets that guide people in placing bets in Havana’s underground lottery by assigning numbers to everyday objects; Cromwell’s nonlinear approach to image sequencing is also informed by this random system. And in Wires Crossed (2023), Ed Templeton documents two decades of his life as a professional skateboarder in a dense, frenetic sequence evoking the look and feel of the skate world he helped create. These four photographers have conceived unique installations for Turning the Page that speak to the kind of engaging experiences they are known for creating when translating their works from page to wall.

Pier 24 Photography has long believed in the photobook as an essential vehicle for both discovering new and exciting photographers, and looking deeply at the history of the medium. Additionally, we have contributed to the photobook community with our own publishing program. As with all of our shows, we hope you will see both familiar works that call out to you as old friends might, and unfamiliar photographers for you to encounter. It is this eye toward the future, with a humble respect for the past, that unifies the work on display. We hope you will join us as we turn the page together.

Richard Avedon | Libby Black | Rose Marie Cromwell | Rineke Dijkstra | Robert Frank | Masahisa Fukase | Jim Goldberg | Curran Hatleberg | Rinko Kawauchi | Baldwin Lee | Helen Levitt | Zanele Muholi | Cindy Sherman | Donavon Smallwood | Alec Soth | Larry Sultan | Ed Templeton | Vasantha Yogananthan |

Goodwin Gallery Hours

Open Studio Days at the Gallery

Resources

Free Days at the Art Museums

THIRD SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH 

Legion of Honor - San Francisco, CA
General admission is free the first Tuesday of every month. (Admission is partnered with deYoung Art Museum - See both in the same day) 

deYoung Art Museum - San Francisco, CA
General admission is free the first Tuesday of every month. (Admission is partnered with Legion of Honor - See both in the same day) 

Asian Art Museum - San Francisco, CA
Free First Sundays

Kanopy

Art Collections - Online