Professor David Mclaughlin, teaches painting, drawing, and art history at Ohlone College in Fremont, California. His involvement in Ohlone's gallery began in 1970 when he and a colleague, Tom Harland, started a tiny art gallery when the art instructors turned their small temporary office into a student gallery. The college at that time, was still a temporary campus in Fremont, CA. The present college campus was built and opened in 1974. Facilities for performing arts, drama and music, were not included in the new campus in 1974. But the departments were assured that they would eventually have a theater with a gallery. We would spin our wheels until 1990 when the opportunity to build a fine performing arts center became a reality. The state's chancellors office succeeded in convincing the legislature to approve our project.

From 1974-1995 the Ohlone Art Gallery, which started in a small back room and former office, with little support and no budget ran successfully. Various instructors served enthusiastically as the director, curator, and museum and gallery techniques instructor. We ran a small, but unique and successful program, and with a lot of dedicationso our exhibits received praise from respected bay area artists and critics. McLaughlin, Tom Harland, Margaret Stainer, and Melissa Pokomoy each continued to this dedicated, high quality program on practically nothing but good faith, good judgment, and professionalism. It was in 1989 that Margaret Stainer researched,discovered pursued the forgotten American Transcendental painter, Agnes Pelton. She single handed resurrected her reputation and significance by successfully collecting together 25 paintings which she displayed in our "little back room". Pelton's exhibits were accompanied by Margaret's 'little catalog' published by Margaret, the art department and Ohlone's print shop. The Smithsonian institute, Museum of Modern Art and several other major institutions sent their congratulations and asked for copies and thus created an opening for monetary support for hte gallery.

The college hired Melissa Pokomoy, a very successful student, who graduated a sculptor from UC Davis and a protegee of the late Robert Soreson and Manuel Neri to teach sculptuting and to be the gallery director after Margaret left to teach at the San Francisco Art of Academy. Pokomoy had inovative ideas,and was one the Bay Area's 'Hottest' young sculptors. She was creating the most avant garde work around and constantly was having shows in SF galleries. She was represented by one the most highly regarded galleries in SF, the Gallery Paula Anglisu which included work in the New Yerba Buena Center for the Fine and Performing arts. The shows she put on in our gallery were "very current" and very stimulating to our students. She had great connections and was going places.

McLaughlin knew that she'd be sought after by major institutions soon. So he managed to invoke her in creating the 'Possibilities of Showing'. This show included some big names in art for the opening of the New Art Gallery and gala, in October of 1995. Pokomoy was the key to McLaughlin writing several grants, including an NEA grant which was not realized. Of these grants only one was realized, but Mclaughlin managed to convince The Wayne Valley foundation of Oakland to grant $6000 to pening year's efforts by coupling the exhibits with multi cultural youth mentor workshops, each given by one of the Artists included in the four sobs shows throughout the 1995-96 season. As a result "The Ohlone College Foundation agreed to support the program with $8700 and the Associated Students of Ohlone College granted the gallery $1200.

The artists, included Enrique Chagoya a professor of Art at Stanford University, Hung Liu a professor of Art at Mills College, Mildred Howard a Artist in residence, Place of Fine Art SF and Alumni deaf installation Artist Reine Yu Cheng a MFA & San Jose State graduate. Each occupied the gallery with solo shows and held Youth Mentor Workshops that served Local High School Seniors and our own art students.

Ms. Pokomoy made it possible through her connections and gallery affiliations, but at the 11th hour was called to a higher service, and she took a job offer to teach at the UC Davis Art Dept. The years grants, the opening of the ew art gallery and producing shows and exhibitions fell into Mclaughlin's hands. "It was a very exhilarating year. Very high energy, full of success and notoriety - good attendance, good press and much praise". The Gallery is now on the bay area map. (see past exhibition history for details)

The current year is a continuation of last year. In August and September Stainer opened the 1996 program with a con-current showing of the drawings of Agnes Pelton in conjunction with the Oakland Museum's exhibit of the national touring show of Agnes Pelton "Poet of Nature" exhibition. Yet, another original contribution to American art history by Ohlone College. These drawings and pastels never before shown, were collected by Stainer and she published another original catalog to accompany this exhibit. The October show was a follow up on the Transcendentalist movement with another important pioneer of early the 20th century America abstract - non-object art by Pelton's colleague Ed Garman, Professor Emeritus of Art from the University of New Mexico. Still another original catalog accompanied this exhibit.

McLaughlin is continuing the grant's work with a continuing grant from the Associated Students of Ohlone College. This year the art and youth mentor workshop program will invite the acclaimed African-American sculpture Dianna Pumpelly Bates for a day involving metal casting and mold making. Plans are currently being worked out for a Saturday date in April - watch for details here on the web. Ms. Bates recently had a solo exhibition of her work at the Grossmont College, Hyde Gallery on October 21st through November 8th, 1996. She is considered one of the finest contemporary African-American artists today.

McLaughlin is currently planning to produce a video program for broadcast, and classroom use that combines choice coverage of the 1995-1996 multi-cultural gallery program and art and youth workshop series. He hopes to have it ready by the end of the spring semester in 1997. His own work as a painter involves figurative compositions in watercolor and oils that explores imagery of classical Greek and Roman sculpture combined with visionary suggestions of gestalt archetypal forms interacting in spatial relationships.