Curators Christiane Esparza and Jenn Procacci at the Depot on East Perkins Street. Contributed

The Arts Council of Mendocino County will be presenting “Women Artists of Covelo,” a multi-media art exhibit that opens Aug. 7, as part of the First Friday Art Walk, at the historic railroad depot at 309 E. Perkins St. in Ukiah, from 5 to 8 p.m.

The exhibit features the work of 16 artists, all female residents of Covelo, ranging in age from 12 to 80-plus. The work was selected from a slightly larger annual exhibit, now in its fourth year, of Covelo women’s artwork shown each year in Covelo at the Library Commons. This is, however, the first time the exhibit will travel outside of Covelo.

Both of these exhibits were curated by participating artists Christiane Esparza and Jenn Procacci. The idea to exhibit the work in Ukiah emerged through a conversation between Alyssum Wier, executive director of the Arts Council of Mendocino County, and Jenn Procacci, artist and Covelo resident, when Alyssum was observing an art class at Round Valley Middle School as part of the Arts Council’s Get Arts in the Schools Program.

Since that conversation, Procacci has become a member of the Arts Council’s board of directors, and was instrumental in enlisting artists to participate in the current exhibit.

Lila James, one of the elder artists in the exhibit, is entirely self-taught. According to the curators, this is the first time that James has ever exhibited her work outside of Covelo.

Arts Council Executive Director Alyssum Wier states: “I am incredibly inspired by the artistic talent found throughout Mendocino County. The Arts Council is always looking for ways to make this ‘natural resource’ more visible, and to increase economic and publicity opportunities for artists. I hope a lot of people will come to see this exhibit. Covelo art will knock your socks off!”

Participating artists are: Carol Borden, Leslie Cardone, Jubilee Dess, Christiane Esparza, Rainbow Ganges, Donna Guzzetta, Lila James, Isabelle LeMieux and Mirabelle LeMieux, Katie Margerison, Jenn Procacci, Sage Roseberry, Angela Vincent, Marjo Wilson, Barbara Wyre and Lynn Zachreson.

The Arts Council of Mendocino County, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, promotes the arts and cultivates creativity to benefit and enrich the lives of residents and visitors of Mendocino County. The two largest programs of the Arts Council are the Get Arts in the Schools Program, and the highly popular online, printed and emailed calendars of art events. More resources can be found at www.ArtsMendocino.org.