Today the Millet House is having to get dressed in public, or at least – that’s what it feels like. For, after consultation with the happiness engineers who run wordpress.com, it became clear that it would be necessary to make the new pages viewable while still being worked on. Long story, but WordPress has a new “editor” – a way to create and edit websites – and while the results are VERY pretty, conflicts arose. So, you can already see the half-dressed Silver Linings show in the top menu. HOWEVER the goal is still: today is the soft opening, and each participating artist will have at least one work up. Our official Opening Reception will be on Zoom, 5:30 to 7pm, on October 9 and the show will be complete by then. The October 2 Zoom would be a good time to show up and give feedback/ask questions, especially if you are a participating artist. We Zoom every Friday. Zoom info is always posted on Fridays on this page and in our Instagram bio.

Musings on a temporarily vanished past: in other times, we have had juried shows, with a Featured Artist and a group of Supporting Artists. Featured artists are asked only to attend the receptions, hang their own art and restore the walls after the show; and, if they have the ability, to contribute to our social media before and during the show. All art must be ready to hang. We hold both an Opening and a Closing reception. Artists are encouraged to bring snacks but we will provide snacks as well. During a show, it’s a good idea for any of the artists to choose a night to host an Open House, but this is not required.

Silver Linings is not that kind of show, but it has a worth of its own. Our 2020 shows, after March, are online only. There is no “featured artist:” featured artists spend up to a year preparing their exhibits, and an online exhibit is a new beast entirely that no one has much experience with. Still, artists have much to say about our current reality, and they need a place to say it; what’s more, what they have to say is important for the sanity and well being of all of us. People are thirsty for art. Know that in purchasing art, or attending a Zoom and commenting positively, you are helping artists whose livelihoods have disappeared. Artists have few options right now, as all manner of festivals and exhibits have been cancelled. Those who support themselves with minimum wage jobs such as conducting mall surveys also find themselves without income. Still, here at the Millet House we are selling more originals than prints – for people are thirsty for art; and if a work of art resonates with a viewer, it can become a reminder of the strength we are all asked to demonstrate right now, a bit of history, and perhaps also a reminder of the kindness and thoughtfulness that make the times easier.

We will return, hopefully in 2021, to professional juried shows. We will likely keep our new-found technology solutions as well, but the main events will, once more, be at the cute little adorable adobe Millet House.