MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Art Center is hosting a virtual opening reception for its new exhibit, “HOME,” on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 6 to 8 p.m.

The opening will feature a virtual tour of the gallery and conversations with exhibiting artists and co-curators Nicola Chipps and Lisa Kaplan.

Broadcast on Zoom, the event is free and open to the public. A link is available at www.MiddletownArtCenter.org. It will also be livestreamed on Facebook through MAC’s page @ARTMiddletown.

The exhibit speaks to the places where humans and other living beings establish roots, the shelters we occupy, and our sense of the places we call “Home.” The artwork has been juried and curated to represent excellence.

The exhibit includes work from Lake County artists with the addition of new artists from Sonoma County and ceramicists from the Cobb Mountain Art and Ecology Project.

The virtual tour is prepared in 3D modeling and will be navigated live at the opening by Michael Chandler of Third Eye Visuals.

As Lake County’s premier art gallery, the MAC curates rotating exhibits of exceptional work from regional artists. The exhibits are poignant, well-crafted and contemporary with definitive earthy aspects.

As a vital arts resource, the MAC has been providing cultural enrichment and inspiring people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to engage with the arts since 2015, when it opened just a few months prior to the Valley fire.

Like other organizations in the region, the MAC has adapted and found innovative ways to serve and engage the community in the face of wildfire and the COVID 19 pandemic.

Remaining accessible through virtual workshops, exhibits, readings, a Maker’s Faire and more, MAC has been a beacon of resilience while uplifting community spirit.

“We are grateful to continue to provide arts and cultural enrichment while ensuring safety protocols are in place,” said MAC’s programs director and co-curator, Lisa Kaplan.

The Middletown Art Center Gallery Store remains open for your holiday shopping with current safety guidelines in place. Buy lake made art between 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday through Sunday, or by appointment.

For more information about the artists and for online acquisition of the collection, visit Artwork Archive at https://bit.ly/39AxRLk.

“HOME” has been generously sponsored in part by Sterling Mortgage, Griffin’s Furniture, Chipps Interiors and Engel & Völker of Healdsburg.

Find out more about events, programs, opportunities, and ways to support the MAC’s work to weave the arts and culture into the fabric of life in Lake County at www.middletownartcenter.org.