Community

Bruce Barton/Town Crier
Gallery 9 artists Judi Keyani, from left, Cecilia Mases, Carol Hake and Jan Meyer are set to mark the gallery’s 50th anniversary. Hake has been a Gallery 9 member since the gallery moved to Los Altos in 1973. Meyer, who painted murals throughout downtown Los Altos, joined in 1975.

Los Altos has seen changes aplenty over the past 50 years, but Gallery 9 has remained true to its mission as members celebrate the art gallery’s golden anniversary this year. It continues, as it did in 1970, to provide a supportive place for local artists to showcase and sell their work.

The gallery and its milestone are the subject of a special exhibition, “Gallery 9: Celebrating Art in Los Altos,” set to open Jan. 30 and run through March 8 at the Los Altos History Museum. The exhibition will offer an overview of Gallery 9 members’ work across a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, photography, ceramics and jewelry.

Miller

Los Altos Community Foundation (LACF) launched a national search for a new executive director after Joe Eyre announced his retirement last year. It turns out the winning candidate had been with the foundation all along.

LACF hired Adin C. Miller, who served on the foundation’s board of directors the past year and a half, to serve as the organization’s new leader. Miller’s official start date is Monday.

LA Garden Club spotlights area birds

The Garden Club of Los Altos is scheduled to meet 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at Los Altos Lutheran Church, 460 S. El Monte Ave.

Guest speakers Matthew Dodder and Mike Azevedo from the Audubon Society will discuss “Our Local Birds – Their Habits and Habitats.” Their presentation will cover birds in the area and what residents can do to attract them.

Courtesy of Jamie Lucia

The First Friday Fundraising Committee – from left, Carol Garsten, Donna Drako, Grail Nitsch, Jamie Lucia and Sharon Storms – is set to host a fundraiser Sunday at Nature Gallery.

The First Friday Committee has scheduled its annual fundraiser 5-8 p.m. Sunday at Nature Gallery, 296 State St.

The “Fun First Friday Fan” event will feature wine tasting, live music, tapas, a silent auction and the premiere of First Friday promotional videos.

The Los Altos Senior Program has scheduled a free tax-return preparation service Monday mornings Feb. 3 through April 13.

Courtesy of Los Altos History Museum

This J. Gilbert Smith photo from 1915 captures Yosemite Falls. Smith’s photos of nature from various trips are the focus of a new Los Altos History Museum exhibition. 

 

Before the dramatic black-and-white photography of Ansel Adams, local orchardist and avid photographer J. Gilbert Smith was inspired by scenes of the West. He took his camera along on trips to Yosemite, Big Sur and the Santa Cruz Mountains, capturing a love of nature.

His photographs of the natural world, and of Los Altos in days gone by, are the subject of a new exhibition, “The Photography of J. Gilbert Smith,” slated for display Thursday through May 24 in the Los Altos History Museum’s J. Gilbert Smith House.