Opening at California’s New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU), “On the Shoulders of Giants: Selected Works from the NUMU Atelier Masters and Students” features the works of master artists and students from NUMU’s Classical Drawing and Painting Atelier Program. The exhibition showcases all levels of mastery in the traditional style of classical drawing and painting.
Featured artists include NUMU Atelier Director, Gabriel Coke, and Master Artists from NUMU’s Visiting Artists Workshops program: Adrian Gottlieb, David Gray, Brianna Lee, Jim McVicker, Cuong Nguyen, Sarah Sedwick, Enzo Segovia, Robert K. Semans, Oliver Sin, Conor Walton, Zhaoming Wu, and Elizabeth Zanzinger.
Gabriel Coke shares his insights on the atelier, NUMU, and more:
I knew that to have an atelier in the South Bay Area I had to create it myself. I began the process of changing the culture of the local community. It took about 15 years, but I accomplished what I set out to do. Now we have an excellent studio for talented young artists, a resource for parents needing an education for their children, and a community for local adults to study with globally connected visiting artists. Seeing kids work on a genius level every week is the best reward.
NUMU adopted my program in 2015. I began searching for a host in 2005 but every arts organization didn’t want to host atelier programming. In 2012 I began teaching full time as an independent atelier. In 2014 I was recognized by Lisa Coscino during NUMU’s expansion. My successes aligned with NUMU’s mission to provide youth education to the community through my After School Art Studio. Adult artists could attend regular day and night classes. The goal of connecting to the global arts community was realized through the Visiting Artists Program, which was made possible by my many friendships with master painters in the United States and Europe.
The studio was built to be the best resource a parent could find for their artistic children. The love and support that grew every year has truly been remarkable. During an After School Art Studio class, the room is filled with some of the Bay Area’s brightest and most talented kids. They regularly out-perform the adults. Many kids have been attending for years, and some have begun as middle school students and are now in college or art school. They have won several awards and scholarships and have been accepted into competitive art schools and pre-college summer programs throughout California.
The studio at NUMU allows me to bring local artists and professional fine art teachers together on a yearly basis . . . This quality of friendship is my most trusted measure for choosing teachers who are kind and treat students the way I want them to be treated.
To learn more about “On the Shoulders of Giants,” which runs through October 13, 2019, visit www.numulosgatos.org.
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