Central Arts Organizations

All area codes are (707) unless noted. Information and venues are subject to change.

Arts

PO Box 723, Ferndale 95536 535 Main St. at Shaw Ave. 298-1699

FerndaleArtGallery.com

A cooperative art gallery featuring original work of local artists; includes paintings, photography, quilting, needlecraft, woodwork, ceramics, jewelry, greeting cards and stained, fused and blown glass.

Ferndale Community Choir

PO Box 67, Ferndale 95536

FerndaleChoir.com

The Ferndale Community Choir has been a part of Ferndale for over 45 years. The choir presents a concert of an eclectic selection of sacred music during the Christmas season and again in the Spring.

PO Box 892, 447 Main St. Ferndale 95536 • 786-5483

FerndaleRep.org

The Ferndale Repertory Theatre is the oldest and largest of the North Coast’s resident community theatres. Since 1972, they have produced more than 270 productions including comedies, classics, mysteries, musicals, dramas and more.

Fortuna Monday Club, Main St. at 6th St., Fortuna 95540 • 845-5652

FortunaConcertSeries.com

The Fortuna Concert Series is a private, nonprofit corporation formed in 1990 for the purpose of bringing quality music to Fortuna and the Eel River Valley.

Scotia Band

PO Box 3, Scotia 95565 599-4872 • ScotiaBand2.org

Humboldt County’s community band. Performs at local festivals year round. Scotia band is a not-for-profit organization.

Ivy Cleek

Humboldt Finalist

Behind the Glass

Fortuna Union High School, Fortuna Grade 11

The arts along Southern Humboldt’s famous Avenue of the Giants (Old Hwy 101) are thriving. The majestic towering redwoods and gently flowing Eel River make for a natural wonderland, perfect for creative inspiration. The small rural communities in the heart of the redwoods, once booming mill towns, are now havens for artists, musicians and craftsmen.

Benbow, Garberville and Redway, located just outside the southern entrance to the Avenue of the Giants, are home every year to major musical and theatrical events.

The Mateel Community Center in Redway operates as both an event venue and in-house arts presenter. Famous for such festivals as Reggae on the River, the Summer Arts & Music Festival and the Northern Nights Festival, (see Events & Festivals, pages 40-41) the Mateel Community Center also offers an annual calendar of events which covers a wide range of artistic styles and media, and a wide variety of programs, from youth athletics and children’s theater to cooking classes and clown workshops. Many of these programs are offered at no cost or at minimal cost to students and schools.

The area is home to retail shops, restaurants, roadside vendors and rural galleries all along the Avenue of the Giants. At many of the roadside stops along this route you will find whimsical carvings hewn from some of the glorious redwood trees that help give this region its name. However, it is a mistake to think that the artistic offerings of Southern Humboldt are limited to redwood bears and tree houses, woven hemp products and tie- dyed clothing. There are also artist studios and galleries where visitors can find fine paintings, blown glass, handwrought jewelry, pottery, sculpture, and many other one-of-a-kind pieces.

Miranda, near the southern entrance to the Avenue of the Giants, is one of the towns where you can find places to admire and purchase these treasures. The peaceful village of Myers Flat, nestled in the redwood forest, serves as a centerpiece of the Avenue of the Giants. The whole Avenue journey, through Weott and Redcrest north to Pepperwood, is a visual treat for the traveler, both in the form of natural beauty and in the work of gifted artists.

All area codes are (707) unless noted.

Mateel Cooperative Art Gallery

773 Redwood Dr. Garberville, CA 95542

707-923-4895

Artists from Humboldt and Mendocino counties. See on Facebook.

Mateel Community Center

PO Box 1910, 59 Rusk Ln. Redway, CA 95560

707-923-3368

Mateel.org

Event venue and in-house arts presenter. Central to fundraising for public programs in Redway/ Garberville. Responsible for the Summer Arts & Music Festival.