Public grand opening set for new downtown Modesto space. Here’s when and where
It may be smaller, but the opening will be “grand” as the Stanislaus Arts Council debuts its new Modesto gallery.
The community is invited to the council’s Grand Opening Event, an open house at the downtown space, on Saturday, Aug. 10, from noon to 6 p.m.
There will be a meet-and-greet with the staff and different council board members throughout the day, plus light refreshments.
And, of course, there will be a new exhibit to view, works by the Creative Core Heartland Grant recipients, which includes a variety of media, according to arts council Executive Director Dominique Johnson. That exhibit will be up through Aug. 29.
There were 16 local recipients of the grant. “It’s a great opportunity to open our new space to show the community the work that was created over the last two years ...,” Johnson said.
The gallery is at 1315 J St. and replaces the arts council’s former Mistlin Gallery, which it closed in May after facing a series of rent increases.
The building that housed the Mistlin Gallery, which also was on J Street, is owned by Stanislaus County. That space was 5,370 square feet, while the new gallery is about 1,000 square feet, according to Johnson.
But the new gallery has something the old one didn’t, she said: more natural light.
“It’s a very nice, bright, open space,” Johnson said. “It’s very welcoming here. We’re very excited to open so we can continue to support our artists throughout the county.”
The new gallery has “a modern boutique feel to it and it’s quite unique to me,” she said.
What it doesn’t have is an official name and will be called the Stanislaus Arts Council, pending naming rights offers.
The Mistlin Gallery was funded by and named for the late Tony Mistlin, who died in 2021.
Johnson said the arts council is leaving naming rights open for a person or organization in the community interested in sponsoring the space.
As Johnson spoke, the new gallery was empty, with plans to move in items that have been in storage before the grand opening.
Upstairs will be the arts council’s executive offices. Downstairs will be the gallery exhibit space, a reception desk and a room to hold classes. There will be a gift shop, but that likely won’t open until fall, Johnson said.
Gallery Coordinator Krystle Lisek will be there during business hours to manage the gallery and exhibitions, and to answer questions and interact with the public.
The next exhibit will be the Autumn Art Exhibition, Sept. 4 to Oct. 11.
Business hours will be noon to 5 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays and noon to 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Admission is free.
For more, see www.stanislausarts.org.
Johnson looks forward to opening the new space, she said. “It looks absolutely beautiful.”
