Auburn art gallery to celebrate first year in downtown location during Placer Artists Tour

Unni Stevens, Rebecca Martinez and Maria Soto were taking a night walk through Downtown Auburn in April 2024 following dinner to celebrate Stevens' birthday when they stopped at the corner of High and E Placer streets for a photo. Soto, a photographer, captured the moment, and the ladies – all managers at Persimmon Art Gallery – marveled through the window of the first floor of the Tahoe Club building, a real estate office at the time. Having rented a space from Awful Annie's since November 2020, they were looking for a new location. "We looked in here," Stevens said, recalling the moment. "Maria even took a picture of us with our faces lit up." Said Martinez, "It was a magical picture. A couple of months later, the space was empty. I have to say I harassed the owners so they would show us the space." Persimmon Art Gallery indeed found their desired location, and they'll celebrate the one-year anniversary of their move to 900 Lincoln Way on Friday, Nov. 7, the opening day of the 32nd annual Placer Artists Tour while acting as hosts at location No. 45 of 72 on the tour. The tour runs Nov. 7-9 and Nov. 14-16. Stevens said the gallery needed to double its artist count to make the finances work, and today, the big wide window facing High Street offers a look at the gorgeous gallery where 34 artists are on display in several rooms showing acrylic, watercolor and oil painting, glass mosaic, photography, quilling, ceramics, felting, whimsical chick gourds, handmade resin, clay, silver jewelry, etchings, furniture and more. "People wanted to come," Martinez said. "We started getting inquiries from artists right away." Said Stevens, "We knew a lot of artists and we figured we could fill this place." Persimmon will celebrate its first year in the new location with hors d'oeuvres, birthday cake and refreshments from 5-7 p.m. Nov. 7. There will also be classes and demos throughout the tour. Martinez said classes are "a big hit," and artists like to do demos "because it's a good way to pull students in." Stevens will teach a Sip and Paint a class – which is already sold out – and her next one is scheduled for Dec. 6. Persimmon also offers mandala, paint your shoes, and whimsical gourds classes. Attendees also get to meet the artists in attendance. "I notice that people really like to talk to the artists when they want to buy something," Stevens said.