The Harris Gallery in Healdsburg’s bustling main square has been a cornerstone of the local arts scene since it opened in 2000.
Founded by artists Marc Cabell “M.C.” Harris and his son, who goes by A3L3XZAND3R, the gallery showcases two generations of family artistry on two floors of the meticulously restored, Italianate-style Plaza Arts Building, once the town’s first bank.
There, overlooking the Healdsburg Plaza, visitors can explore carefully arranged, illuminated artworks — complemented by a glass of wine from The Harris Gallery Art & Wine Collection.
The exhibitions include works by M.C. Harris, who paints in a modernist, cubist and abstract expressionist style, and A3L3XZAND3R, whose work spans classic impressionism to abstract minimalism.
Jazzy beginnings
Born in New York City, M.C. Harris’ childhood was infused with creativity. His mother was a writer and fashion couturier, while his father, Edward Jurgen Harris, was a jazz impresario and surrealist painter. His godfather was the legendary jazz trumpet virtuoso Dizzy Gillespie.
“Jazz is the original American art form. It celebrates freedom, innovation and individuality,” Edward Jurgen Harris once said, quoted in M.C.’s newly published book, “All That Jazz,” which explores Edward’s paintings and his connections to the Jazz Age.
M.C. spent his formative years in Northern California and attended the California College of the Arts, graduating in printmaking in 1972. His first public exhibition was a two-man show in San Francisco, where his etchings were displayed alongside the lithographs of renowned Dutch artist Maurits Cornelis “M.C.” Escher.
He eventually moved to Guatemala to learn Spanish and take some time off, ultimately leading to his career’s next evolution.
“A cord struck. He fell in love with the people, the objects and the culture at the local markets,” said A3L3XZAND3R of his father.
M.C. had an idea to bring Guatemalan culture and crafts to the American market. He had learned about the retail business through his mother, who owned clothing stores and boutiques throughout the Bay Area.
“He would go to a person’s stand at the markets and buy baskets, satchels, jackets, and different objects and take them to trade shows,” said A3L3XZAND3R. “Macy’s would say, ‘We could sell that.’ He basically became an importer and would take orders live at shows.”
M.C. founded the now-closed Marco Polo Companies, an importing operation that emphasized various industries, from women’s clothing to textile bedding.
While M.C. loved the work, it was a challenging career for someone with a family.
“It was a lot of travel, and there were three boys at home,” recalled A3L3XZAND3R. “It would be a two to a three-week trip to have new items made, and then a lot of travel for trade shows.”
Ultimately, after a 30-year career, M.C. retired.
“I retired from the fashion and textile business and began oil painting,” he said. “My wife Peggy removed me from my studio and installed me, and my work, in the old bank boardroom off the Healdsburg Plaza.”
Immersed in art
Around the same time, A3L3XZAND3R was coming into his own as an artist. Like his father, he was immersed in art from an early age.
“I grew up around it and was surrounded by it, looking at my grandfather’s work — hundreds of art books. I was obsessed with it and loved it,” said A3L3XZAND3R. “I always knew it was what I wanted to do.”
By the time his father opened the Healdsburg gallery, A3L3XZAND3R was studying at the Florence Academy of Art.
“It was essentially a boot camp for learning how to draw and paint extremely well,” he said. His time in Italy allowed him to draw imaginative prompts, such as, “An umbrella, upside down in the wind blowing 200 miles an hour.”
He also attended a summer program at the Russian Academy of Art, to which only five international students were invited. While abroad, he would send his artwork home. During the summers, he worked at his father’s gallery.
Once he moved back home in 2006, A3L3XZAND3R became a full-time partner in the gallery, and the business has grown every year since.
“The idea is he shows his work, I show my work, and the general philosophy is where we live and how we express ourselves,” said A3L3XZAND3R.
Blending art with wine
Fifteen years ago, A3L3XZAND3R met his wife, Leah Harris, an avid wine collector. She made her wine collection available for friends and family at the Harris Gallery.
Once a wine tasting room permit became available in downtown Healdsburg, A3L3XZAND3R filed quickly.
Adding the wine program to the gallery led to a transformation.
“The gallery became a more comfortable, approachable space,“ said Leah. ”People started understanding the connection between art, wine and the community.“
The Harris family decided to add their own label to the collection and turned to their close friend Wells Guthrie, who won acclaim at Copain Wines. He created a Pinot Noir from Anderson Valley.
“It became a natural evolution of our program to add our wine, but it was important to me that our wine artist (winemaker) was a friend, an extension of us,” said Leah.
And the wine inside the bottle had to match the caliber of the art that decorated the bottle’s exterior.
“I didn’t want it just to be a pretty bottle,” said Leah. “We wanted it to be an extension of our story.”
The gallery’s wine collection expanded further after Leah reached out to famed winemaker Leo Hansen, who was familiar with the Harris Gallery. The two struck a deal to trade a painting for a palette of Chenin Blanc made specifically for the Healdsburg gallery.
Today, Hansen makes a Chenin Blanc and a rosé for the Harris Gallery, which also has added a sparkling wine to its portfolio.
In addition to the gallery, bottles from the The Harris Gallery Art & Wine Collection are available at local establishments such as The Madrona and Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg, Diavola Pizzeria & Salumeria in Geyserville, and Nick’s Cove in Marshall.
“We want genuine partnerships and authenticity,” said A3L3XZAND3R.
