MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – This Friday, Sept. 13, the Middletown Art Center will commemorate the fourth anniversary of the Valley fire, as well as the Rocky and Jerusalem fires of 2015, and all of the wildfires we have experienced in Lake County since.

The evening will feature an opening reception for the exhibit “All That Is Now” from 6 to 9 p.m. as well as spoken word and musical performances from 7 to 9 p.m.

The exhibit will run through mid-November.

Performing and literary artists wishing to contribute a song, dance, prose or poem are invited to email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. before Friday to reserve a spot in the lineup. There will be open mic signup onsite if time allows. Work should be relevant to the fire experience.

Each year since the devastating Valley fire, the MAC has hosted a commemorative exhibit and concert to honor our collective experience, memorialize loss, and celebrate our healing.

The exhibit this year includes work inspired by all phases of the experience from disaster, to recovery, to living with fire.

“The trauma of fire still smolders in the fabric of everyday life in Lake County, even as we live and breathe resilience,” said MAC Director and artist Lisa Kaplan. “The broad gamut of psycho-emotional, physical and economic experiences are retriggered each year by local and regional fires. Making, seeing, hearing and feeling art, especially in community, can be very healing, and pleasurable, and remind us that we are not alone in our experience, though for each of us it is a little different. Please join us!”

The event is free to the public. The Middletown Community Farmers’ Market will also be open from 5 to 8 p.m., featuring local goodies. A no host bar will be open in the MAC Gallery.

Be sure to catch the “All That Is Now” opening this Friday and consider visiting the Sculpture Walk at Trailside Park while in Middletown.

The MAC Gallery’s regular hours are Thursday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.;, Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Trailside Park is open dawn to dusk daily and the 14th annual Sculpture Walk will be on view through Oct. 15.

The MAC is located at 21456 State Highway 175 at the junction of Highway 29 in the heart of Middletown.

To stay up to date on classes, exhibits and events, and support this valuable Lake County arts and culture resource visit www.middletownartcenter.org.