The Jefferson Agrarian

photograph © James Gilmore 2008

Ed. note: This is the first among (hopefully) many upcoming interviews with artists that continue to push the envelope in this rural outpost of the State of Jefferson.

Jefferson artist and entrepreneur John Rickard ran the first gallery in our area dedicated to photographic practice when he opened the Noda-Rickard Rostel Gallery with a partner in Dunsmuir in 2007. After a spectacular run of giving us a taste of art shows, receptions and workshops in a *real* art gallery setting, the Rostel Gallery closed at the end of 2008. Not to be deterred, Rickard has returned with Tangle Press & Gallery, which was launched on January 1, 2010.

The Jefferson Agrarian recently interviewed Rickard about his new venture:

JA: The stated mission of Tangle Press & Gallery is to inspire, educate and share life through the medium of photography. How do you see such a broad and ambitious mission being put into practice in the remote reaches of the State of Jefferson?

JR: The State of Jefferson is not only a refuge of free independent thinkers it also an area that cultivates the artistic mind. Imagery is a universal form of communication, it is often collected, critiqued and theorized by metropolitan intellectuals but it is intelligible by all.  Aspiring to music, images are universal. There are concessions (we make for) living in the mountains of the State of Jefferson, but we do not lack culture.  Artists abound here like wildlife, inspired by beauty and life’s trials and tribulations.  Photography has its own articulation, one with no syllables, grammar or syntax, only direct emotion.  Simply put, Tangle Press is initiating a visual conversation that can be discussed in any corner of the world.

JA: There appear to be four main areas of concentration for Tangle gallery, press, journal and workshops. Can you talk about your vision for each one?

JR: Synonymous with our name, all these avenues are intertwined. The workshops educate, the gallery inspires and the journal/press displays the resulting visual dialog. On a business level each is necessary to fund the other. I am devising Tangle to be approachable by all since our region is diverse on many levels.

JA: We also noticed something called ‘Red Room’ – what is your vision for a bricks-and-mortar gallery/workspace, and where would it ideally be located?

JR: Everywhere an epicenter of creativity is needed, throughout art history there have been places where artists orbit and exchange ideas. I’m not trying to start a new movement, just provide a location to work, learn, share, and grow. I am fortunate to have a home darkroom and can print on a whim, but many artists don’t have that luxury. A muse can leave an artist as quickly as it formalizes. Without the ability to conjure the tangible from the inspiration, art is just a thought. ‘Red Room’ will provide many local artists a place to create and share. Financially, I can’t yet provide this place, but it is one of my biggest goals. I think Mt. Shasta is the right town for a central Jeffersonian location, and its visitors.

JA: Who have been your role models for a similar successful venture?

JR: My teachers have been my role models, those with the innate sense of sharing, publishers who take pride in the book and artists who care not about fame and fortune but simply about their craft and its perception in society. These people are sometimes in art history books, and sometimes walking by our side.

JA: Who are your top five Art Heroes?

JR: There are many artists that create extremely influential art. They can redefine a medium and change humanity with their creations. Anselm Kiefer is our current living artist with such acclaim, but he was inspired and educated by Joseph Beuys – an artist and a teacher. Those who create great works themselves, but have also helped their fellow artists are my heroes. This idea is celebrated everyday by those like Linda Connor of Photo Alliance, Emilio Bañuelos and Elena Carrasco of Black Boots Ink and even by you with this blog and your teaching at the College of the Siskiyous.  Those whose work goes beyond narcissism, and whose existence is responsible for spores of new art and artists, are who inspire me. Alfred Stieglitz, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Harry Callahan, Minor White and my personal favorite Brian Taylor are such artists.

From John Rickard, Tangle Gallery and Press:

Learn the dynamics of medium format film photography in Mt Shasta, California.

Students will participate in discussion on the advantages, disadvantages, idiosyncrasies and options in the medium format world. The workshop will also include hands-on introduction to a variety of medium format cameras, fieldwork, lab work, lecture, slide shows and an exchange of ideas.

You will complete the workshop with developed film, contact sheet(s), a greater understanding of medium format photography and a few new friends. Each student will have the opportunity to shoot a variety of cameras at a variety of sites. You will be exposed to a varied range of subject matter from the remarkable beauty of the Shasta region to the street scenes of our diverse and historic towns. The State of Jefferson is a great place to visit and photograph.

Class is limited to ten students and the cost is $250 per person. For more information and to enroll email info@tanglepress.com.

Oaksong Music Society presents Jim Hurst:
International Bluegrass Music Association’s Guitar Player of the Year 2001 & 2002. Nominated every year since 2000!
“Jim Hurst has an attractive vocal delivery with his songs…but it has to take a back seat to his incredible flat-picking guitar work.” – Country Music News
“He always mines a deep grove and heats things up to a rolling boil. Combining strong country and bluegrass roots, subtle invention, and a big beautiful sound. Jim’s music is consistently fresh and friendly.” – Tim O’Brien

When: Saturday, February 20, 2010 @ 8PM (Door Opens at 7:30)
How Much?: Tickets $15 each (limited seating, so get your tickets NOW!)
Where: Bernie’s Guitar 530-223-2040
3086 Bechelli Lane, Redding

From today’s Redding Record Searchlight:

Children of the first responders to the Cantara Loop spill of 1991 received a pleasant surprise in the mail this week.

A letter from the Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein law office in San Francisco and a $1,300 check were sent to each of the 767 beneficiaries of a fund that was established as part of a multimillion dollar settlement in the mid-’90s.

On July 14, 1991, a derailed tanker dumped 19,500 gallons of metam sodium, an herbicide, into the Sacramento River about six miles north of Dunsmuir, turning the water a toxic pea green. The herbicide poisoned the river from the loop to Lake Shasta, killing fish, birds, insects and other wildlife.

Three years later, then-Gov. Pete Wilson signed a $38 million settlement paid by Southern Pacific Transportation Co., GATX, AMVAC and J.M. Huber. The money went to clean-up efforts, river-monitoring programs, a game preservation fund, a fund for future environmental disasters and a fund for the children of those who responded first to the toxic scene.

“When the settlement was agreed upon, the judge here in San Francisco who was assigned to the case set aside a certain amount of money for a medical benefits fund that was available for people who believed they had continuing medical issues related to exposure to the fumes that followed the spill,” said Don Arbitblit, a partner at the firm.

The Minors’ Medical Benefits Trust Fund had a total balance of about $1 million and was divided equally among all beneficiaries, the letter read.

“The judge’s order said that money left over after the medical claims had been paid would be distributed to the minors who were alive and in the area and submitted timely claims and that the distribution would take place when those minors were all adults,” Arbitblit said.

Arbitblit said parents of the children filed on their behalf and were given the opportunity to submit paperwork to become part of the settlement.

Some medical claims were made in the 1990s and fully paid at that time, but none has been filed since, he said.

“(That) is why there is a substantial amount for distribution now,” he said.

Record Searchlight reporter Ryan Sabalow was one of the beneficiaries of the Minors’ Medical Benefits Trust Fund.

Sabalow’s father, Mike, worked for Southern Pacific in 1991 as a track maintenance worker. His was among the first crews that responded to the derailment. Both Ryan Sabalow and his sister, Kori, were pleasantly surprised this weekend to find checks in the mail, he said.

“It’s like getting a tax return you didn’t know was coming,” Ryan Sabalow said.

By Amanda Winters
Published Friday, February 19, 2010

Reporter Amanda Winters can be reached at 530-225-8372 or at awinters@redding.com.

Editor’s note: This just in from Celeste White of Keswick Publishers in Shasta:

The Hot Air Quarterly, the North State’s Independent Literary Magazine, is accepting submissions in these areas: short fiction, memoir, narrative nonfiction, poetry, and B&W line drawings.

All styles are welcome; our offerings range from serious to playful. HAQ is based in Shasta County and publishes work from the local area as well as from around the country and would love to showcase the creative talent of the state of Jefferson.

Payment is made in contributors’ copies; authors retain all rights. A limited hard copy print run is distributed, free, throughout northern California; the current issue is available on the Shasta County Arts Council website (www.shastaartscouncil.org). Issues are saddle-stitched with cover art hand-tipped onto the cover.

Please send material to: keswickhouse@earthlink.net.