When Open Sky Gallery opened in Montague, California, its exhibitions centered on people affected by incarceration. Now, director and curator Snow Thorner is broadening the gallery's focus.
The gallery has expanded to include work by artists, writers and musicians whose lives have been affected by experiences such as mental health challenges, childhood adversity and abusive relationships.
For Thorner, the change reflects a broader interest in how people use creative expression to explore difficult experiences.
Her interest in the subject developed through years of work in community service, coaching and child advocacy.
"All of those nonprofit contact points and learning connections in my life were my wake-up about trauma," Thorner said.
That experience eventually led Thorner to Open Sky Gallery. After renovating a historic building in Montague, she decided to turn the space into an art gallery centered on justice and personal experience.
“The moment I did, I was very excited because I knew that that was my purpose,” she said.
The gallery's exhibitions combine artwork with the stories of the people who created it. From Shadow to Light, for example, featured portraits and stories of women who had experienced difficult circumstances. Other exhibitions have featured work by incarcerated artists.
Thorner said bringing those experiences into the open is an important part of the gallery's mission. She hopes the exhibitions give visitors opportunities to talk about experiences that can otherwise be isolating.
“We really want to normalize these types of conversations,” Thorner said.
She said creating space for those conversations can help people connect with one another.
“We begin to heal the moment we're heard,” she said.
Guest
- Snow Thorner, director and curator, Open Sky Gallery
