Directors

Board meetings are held on the third Monday of each month, via Zoom. We welcome you to attend these meetings and learn more about the organization. Contact Jane Lewis to receive the monthly agenda. The following board members contribute to a strong and resilient Arts and Culture organization on the Coastside. 650-889-3000 Coastalartsleague@gmail.com

Thank you

O. Paul Decker
Memorial Fund

Our Cooperative Culture

Established in 1980, our mission is to support the visual arts in the region, providing a public space where artists can show and sell their work, and practice their art as part of a healthy lifestyle. We are an artists’ cooperative where every associate has a seat at the table. Members can find a way to participate according to their interests. Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills, and can provide valuable training and experience that may translate directly to paid employment.
The Coastal Arts League is a charitable organization under 501c3 IRS regulations. Our fiscal year is January 1 to December 31.

Directors 2021

Jane Lewis

Photographer, Jane Lewis, President, is a California Educator, BS, University of California, MA San Diego State University, with 28 years of service to the San Diego Unified School District.

Jane serves as Exhibition Coordinator, website administrator and writes the Constant Contact Bulletin each month.

Thomas Goodson, Treasurer

Silversmith, Thomas Goodson has 40 years of management and executive experience in the pharma-ceutical industry. He has guided several new drugs and medical devices through the approval process in the U.S., Europe, Australia, and Japan.

Betsy Harms

Vice President and jewelry artist, Betsy Harms is retired from management at Rocket Farms. She shows her work in the Artist Collective Gallery and manages the Gallery Hosts.

Greta Waterman, Marketing

Painter, Greta Waterman has been a Marketing Consultant for thirty years, and is a realtor with Century 21 in Half Moon Bay. She is a member of the Half Moon Bay Plein Air Painters, Peninsula Outdoor Painters (POPS), and Peninsula Museum of Art Studios in Burlingame. Her work has been exhibited at Artifact Gallery in NYC, ArtBlend Gallery in Fort Lauderdale,FL, and Watermill Museum in Hamptons, NY.

Publications:

CAL's website https://www.coastside-artists.com/
Email service through Constant Contact
Social media through Facebook and NextDoor
Press releases and articles in the local HMB Review
Chamber of Commerce Events Calendar

Marie Massey

Plein Air painter and teacher, Marie Massey is the Social Media Director.

Painter, Susan Vandiver chairs the CAL Advisory Board and serves on the Board of Directors of the Coastside Adult Day Health Center in Half Moon Bay.
Retired from a social work career, Susan has always been drawn to artwork. Her first job was providing art therapy at a children’s psychiatric facility.

Claudia Gray, Member-at-large

In 2021, Claudia curated the All Media Show along with Randall Reid.

Priscilla Klass

Priscilla Klass, serves on the Advisory Board. She has done mural work for clients, such as Gallo Winery corporate offices, Teichert Construction, Ritz-Carlton HMB, and Stanford Medical Clinics. Her work has also been exhibited in Bay Area galleries for many years. She continues to do commission work and teach private art classes.

Pen & Ink artist Gary Frink is a dependable volunteer, showing up to help change exhibits each month. He is a member of the Artist Collective displaying his pen & Ink drawings.

Maury Walcott

Wood Carver Maury Walcott is also a member of the Artist Collective. Together with Thom Goodson, he and Gary frequently host opening receptions.

Patti Appel, serves on the Advisory Board. Retired from The College of San Mateo, as Professor in Graphic Arts, Patti studied at Santa Clara University and UCLA, where she earned her MFA in Theatre Arts and Acting. She has been involved for many years with the Coastal Rep. in Half Moon Bay.

Patti has been painting for many years and teaches classes in our program at the Senior Center. You can view her artwork at appelarts.org.

A Thriving Exhibition Program

President’s Report by Jane Lewis: November 2021

There are many arts groups, but few who have an exhibition space. The Coastal Arts League is the only public nonprofit art gallery on the San Mateo coast between Pacifica and Pescadero. Since 1995 we have operated a gallery on Main Street in the heart of Half Moon Bay that serves as an arts hub and a destination for visitors. The Gallery is a resource for the whole Coastside community and is central to our mission to encourage and support the visual arts for everyone. Together, we raise awareness of the importance of art as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Enterprising artists learn business skills as members of the Collective Gallery. They rent space and volunteer as gallery hosts to keep the gallery open to the public five days a week. Many Collective Gallery members are painters and photographers, who celebrate the beauty of the Coast. Visitors find artworks to remember their trip to the San Mateo Coastside.

Services and programs:
The Exhibition program hosts 11 shows annually: 3 Juried shows, 4 Benefit shows, and 4 Collaborating Artist shows. Admission is always free. Juried Shows are the centerpiece of the exhibition program and a long-term investment. Although they rarely realize a profit, juried shows improve the quality of exhibitions and enhance the reputation of the gallery. We depend on grants, donations, entry fees, and sales to support the exhibition program.

During the 2020 pandemic, attendance at exhibitions was low, but we kept the shows going by exhibiting the artwork on our website and accepting online purchases. In the gallery, we resumed exhibitions with health precautions. We added outdoor benches and indoor air purifiers. We hired substitute hosts for members who were not comfortable coming back. Best of all, we didn't lose any members from the Collective due to prolonged closure.

We expanded our website to reach parents, children, and art buyers. There was a need to reach out to parents and children at home. We collected resources and launched a new webpage, Art Resources, that families can access for themselves and their kids. In-person Adult Art Classes resumed in September with a full schedule through June 2022. The Senior Center provides the classroom and the Coastal Arts League purchases art supplies. Member artists volunteer as instructors to provide activities, social interaction, and lifelong learning.

We promote inclusion and collaboration. In a community with a large percentage of Hispanic residents, too few are represented in the arts. Benefit exhibitions are an effort to bridge that gap. Donations are needed to help pay the overhead expenses.

In March, student artwork is featured in the HMB High School Art Show. Students in public school mirror community demographics. The 2020 graduating class of HMB High School is 50% Hispanic. Across all groups, 56% of students are from socioeconomically disadvantaged homes.
In October, ALAS photographers captured the lived experience of Latinos on the coast and created an immersive experience in the gallery.

The top three sources of funding in 2020 were individual memberships and donations (40%) State, County, and City assistance (16.5%) and a Decker Foundation donation (10%).

Anne Grauzlis, Education

Anne Grauzlis is the Senior Center liaison for Community Outreach.. She maintains a glass display case for art in the Senior Center lobby, enjoys making beaded jewelry, and hosts the Artist Collective Gallery two days each month.

Rebecca Ellis

Pat Keefe, Advisory Board

Patricia E. Keefe has been a Board member of the National Paint Brush Diplomacy.org, co-founder of the Peninsula Sculpture Guild, and past president of the Coastal Arts League. She is a member of the Artist Collective where she displays sculpture and watercolors.

Rebecca Ellis volunteers for the Installation team. A prolific painter, she is a member of the Artist Collective where she sells original paintings and prints.

The Gallery Staff

As an entirely volunteer run gallery, each member of the Collective volunteers as a Gallery Host, representing our exhibitors. Two well-lighted galleries provide space for visitors to browse for handmade gifts, jewelry, and original wall art at accessible prices. Fresh paint, new carpet, and additional lights make an inviting space for visitors. Working in the gallery allows members to learn the gallery business and how to merchandise their artwork.

Linda Curtis, Curator

Linda Curtis has curated the juried painting show for two years. She chairs a critique group for painters in Boulder Creek. Her work is available in the Artists Collective Gallery.

Randall Reid, past president

In the wake of the COVID pandemic health crisis, the gallery reopened in June and resumed the regular schedule in July. We approach this time of uncertainty with a sense of calm and responsibility for our families, colleagues and our members. We have implemented safety procedures and increased ventilation in the gallery.

Cheryl Costella, Curator

Cheryl Costella is a painter in oils, and has been a member of the Artist Collective Gallery since March 2017. She is also a member of the Santa Cruz Mountains Art Center in Ben Lomond and has served as Curatorial Chair.

Community Outreach

The San Mateo County Arts Commission supports the Educational Outreach Programs with a small grant, which provides art supplies for classes at the Senior Center and Gallery Space for HMBHS Art Department. Half Moon Bay High School art students display their work in the annual High School Exhibition, scheduled in March.

Thanks to Our Donors

The Coastal Arts League at 300 Main St. in Half Moon Bay, is a non-profit art gallery. For 40 years, local artists have poured time, thought, love, and resources into creating a public art gallery, which is free and is made possible by our patrons.
We appreciate our generous members. The annual Members Show begins in early November, and continues through the New Year. All who join or renew their membership by November 1, are eligible to participate. Thank you to the Coastside community that supports our gallery through the Spring fundraiser called Coastside Gives. Donor letters for tax purposes are sent out each January.

Photo Credits this page:
Jane Lewis
Barbara Masek
Susan Friedman
Mike Wong
and from the
CAL Facebook page