FOLSOM, Calif. — Adeliza McHugh just wanted a place to sell her nougat treats.
In 1962, she bought a small home on Sutter Street in Folsom and opened The Candy Store.
However, the local health inspector shut her down.
Instead of staying closed, Adeliza decided to keep the name and offer artists from anywhere and everywhere a place to showcase their pop art. That gallery would last another 30 years, and showcase some of the world's most respected artists in ceramics, acrylics and other popular art.
Those artists and their works are now the headline attraction at the Crocker Art Museum.
Scott Shields, the Chief Curator of the Crocker Art Gallery, says Adeliza knew the impact she was making.
"I think she knew because even in her own time, these artist were showing all over the country and beyond," Shields said. "They were showing in New York City at some of the most respected showcases. Although when she first started to show most of them, they weren’t that well known. By the time she was done, a lot of them were internationally famous."
Although it's been 30 years since the little gallery closed, many recognize the power it had in bringing Northern California, and for that matter Northern American art together.
"It was without question, a confluence of all that was happening in the world of art, in a tiny house in Folsom, which is pretty remarkable," Shields said.
Visitors can check out The Candy Store collection at The Crocker Art museum through May 1.
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