She’s So Collectible! Curating the Richard Machen Collection

Sophia Grace Gallery, Ferndale, WA

Opening｜September 13, 2025

Artist Talk: 4:30 pm

Ceremony: 5:00–7:00 pm

FERNDALE, WA — On September 13, 2025, Sophia Grace Gallery unveils She’s So Collectible: Curating the Richard Machen Collection—the first public exhibition of this extraordinary private collection, originally valued at half a million dollars. Assembled by Bellingham-based collector Richard Machen, founder of the Three Raven Gallery, this collection is a rare and unique phenomenon in the Pacific Northwest: a private collection composed of 98% living women artists, curated with vision and boldness that challenges convention. 

Curated by Dr. Sophia Kidd, the exhibition presents paintings by Katherine Sheers, Amy Stone, and Carrie McIntyre, alongside ceramic sculpture by Maria Wickwire, Michel Angela Petersen, and Karen Adams. Each artwork embodies an urgent vitality, together forming a collection that signals a regime change in the canon: one that foregrounds women’s voices, materials, and visions for the future. 

Opening Night Program | Saturday, September 13, 2025

  • 4:30–5:15 pm｜Artists Talk with Curator & Collector 
  • 5:30–7:00 pm｜Opening Ceremony & Viewing 

Dr. Kidd explains the collection’s significance: 

“Art begins and ends in emotion. Within it lie style, process, and concept. These pieces form living maps of human existence—six women artists and one visionary collector tracing the contours of our shared future.”
 
Positioned at the heart of Ferndale beside the elegant Leader Block Trattoria & Bar, Sophia Grace Gallery has quickly established itself as a destination for contemporary art, poetics, and cultural vision in Whatcom County. The gallery is more than a space for viewing—it is a growing cultural salon, inviting the public into dialogue with art that moves the soul and challenges convention. 

Guests are invited to join the Sophia Grace Collectors Club, gaining early access to works, curatorial insights, and exclusive invitations to future events. Membership is currently complimentary. Subscribe now at bit.ly/3GT496R. 

📍 Sophia Grace Gallery | 2026 Main Street, Ste. B, Ferndale, WA 98248 

📅 Saturday, September 13, 2025 | 4:30–7:00 pm 

🎟 RSVP + Info：sophiagracegallery.com

     info@sophiagracegallery.com 

📞 (360) 988-3645 

🍷 Collect | Connect | Belong

Website: sophiagracegallery.com

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Curator, Dr. Sophia Kidd

Dr. Sophia Kidd is not only a celebrated scholar, curator, and art critic—she is the visionary behind the Sophia Grace Gallery. With deep roots in Chinese classical aesthetics and a global academic presence—from Sichuan to Germany—Dr. Kidd brings an unmatched intellectual and poetic sensibility to the curation of contemporary art. As author of Culture Paves the New Silk Roads (Springer, 2022) and the forthcoming China’s Art of Political Economy (Palgrave Macmillan), she offers collectors access to a rigorously informed and deeply humanistic lens on art. Her gallery is more than a space—it’s a portal into cultural dialogue and aesthetic depth. Collecting here means acquiring pieces selected by a mind at the intersection of East-West traditions, politics, and poetics. Every artwork tells a story. Every story adds value.