Tom Knight Gallery

The Humboldt Arts Council is proud to present a special exhibition at the Morris Graves Museum of Art highlighting the visionary legacy of self-taught artist Romano Gabriel and the monumental efforts to preserve his internationally renowned folk art. Created over nearly three decades in Eureka using painted vegetable crates and hand tools, Gabriel’s vibrant wooden garden became a celebrated California Cultural Landmark before being relocated to its permanent display space in Old Town Eureka. The transfer of care and ownership was transferred to the Humboldt Arts Council in 2012, and now a comprehensive restoration and stabilization project—funded by a generous grant from the Kohler Foundation, Inc. and executed in partnership with the Balboa Art Conservation Center—is currently in motion to address critical structural and environmental threats to the delicate collection. On view at the MGMA, this exhibition offers visitors an intimate look at Gabriel's original sculptures and celebrates the vital conservation techniques, community advocacy, and institutional stewardship that ensure this historic artistic treasure endures for future generations.