Getting our new space ready for our grand opening this spring!

The Gallery, located in Historic Downtown Sonora, was first opened  in 2008 to provide a venue for artists in the Mother Lode Art Association to show and sell their work. Today the MLAA still has a space in the gallery.
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The Gallery is a cooperative currently representing 45 artists. You will find paintings in oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, and mixed media and photography. We have ceramic artists whose work include wood fired, high fired and raku pieces. We also have some amazing jewelry and hand bags. 

We opened the gallery in its new location in the spring of 2020, the famous Baer's Building. Below is a story about the history of the space.

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History Lesson
The Baer's Clothing Store has been a landmark on Sonora's main street for nearly 150 years, closing it's doors in 1995.

"What became a family business, was started in 1851 when Meyer Baer arrived here from his native home in Hamburg, Germany and found the town teeming with population–a tent city–on the site upon which Sonora was permanently built. A glance told him that it was not more miners that were wanted, but more businessmen to supply their needs. He opened a crockery shop in a temporary structure on the west side of the street next to the creek. It was his misfortune that when the miners came to town on weekends and got drunk, they became rowdy and broke up his crockery. While preparing to renew his crockery stock, the big fire of 1852 laid the town in ashes. Mr Baer then went into the men's clothing business and after a few different locations settled in 1926 with his son Julius in the "new store." 

Baer's was the oldest men's clothing store in California and the second oldest customer of Levi Strauss. ​​..

Of "Baer's Elegant New Store," The Union Democrat wrote; "Setting a new mark for beauty, convenience and service Baer's new store, in it's arrangement, design and construction is one of the most modern establishments of it's kind in the state's interior and prosperity – that carries the commercial fame of Sonora all over California." "In appearance the display windows are striking and spacious. French beveled plate glass has been used throughout in their construction. This beautiful material has been set in copper and the unobstructed view of the interior discloses oak flooring, set off by buff background in the walls...The whole store can be flooded with light from the direct lighting arrangement."