First Friday is Aug. 1

July 17, 2008

First Friday Art Walk is breaking new ground in August. The Art Walk welcomes a new venue with Live at the Met – Metro Credit Union, that is – a celebration of art and music in Metro’s newly renovated downtown building. Meanwhile award-winning Fashion Designer Cherrelle Hitchcock takes center stage at Global Fayre, Artist Jesse Cox explores the parameters of faith and culture in The Covering at Good Girl Art Gallery, and Sandra Strother brings her Wild West Paintings to Bellwether Gallery of the Arts.

First Friday Art Walk, a free, self-guided walking tour of downtown art galleries, will be held 6-10 p.m. Aug. 1. The August event features live art demonstrations, live music, food and fun in 19 participating galleries. Among the August highlights:

  • Mixed-media artist Santiago Jim Delgadillo and OUTREACH: An Exhibition of Ceramic Work Created by the Claymobile Teachers at the Creamery Arts Center
  • The Art of Stevia Bonebrake at DB Design Salon & Art Gallery
  • Brian King, featured artist at Figment Art Gallery & Culture House
  • Landscapes of the Netherlands by Anne Cox at Fitzwilly’s Gifts & Antiques
  • 10 Million Colors, new paintings by popular up-and-coming Springfield artist Gavyn Sky, at the Keyes Gallery
  • The Water Project: Part 2, images of Africa by Springfield Photographer Doug Pitt, at Randy Bacon Studio & Gallery
  • Torchwork Treasures, torchwork jewelry-making with hard and soft glass, at Springfield Hot Glass Studio
  • New Work by Potter Nathan Falter at Springfield Pottery
  • Mutation Sensation by Barcelona-based artist Charity Blansit at Studio 405
  • Celebrating the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics at Susan Sommer-Luarca Fine Art Gallery and Frame Shoppe
  • See the full August Gallery Listing below for more details

AND DON’T FORGET … Family Art Night at the Downtown YMCA provides a fun, affordable child-care option for children ages 6 weeks to 12 years on First Friday. The cost is $10 per child and hours are 6:30-9 p.m. This month kids will design tissue fish, work with an experienced artist on drawing and enjoy inflatables and a healthy snack while their parents experience Art Walk. Call Kyla Bentley at (417) 862-8962, ext. 149, to preregister or for more information.

 

August Gallery Listing

 

Bellwether Gallery of the Arts, 600 W. College St., welcomes Sandra Strother and her Wild West Paintings along with the Original Oil Paintings of Dee Giles. The artwork will be on exhibit through August. (417) 831-1778 www.bellwetherarts.com

Big Smile Photography, 207 Park Central East, continues to showcase its Staff Photography. (417) 527-2885 www.bigsmilestudios.com

The Creamery Arts Center, 411 Sherman Parkway, presents mixed-media artist Santiago Jim Delgadillo as well as OUTREACH: An Exhibition of Ceramic Work Created by the Claymobile Teachers, in association with Springfield Pottery. Don’t miss the ARTalk by the artists from 7 to 8 p.m. Delgadillo, a native of Tucson, incorporates religious images and motifs into his work from the strong spiritual environment in which he was raised. Claymobile OUTREACH artists include Sherri Alexander, Michael Bishop, Ashley Byers, Andrew Eggers, Josh Heaton, Joel Harrison, Brian Lynch, Nathan Falter and Jennifer Falter. The Claymobile is a mobile ceramic education outreach offering fun and rewarding programs for schools and community-based organizations throughout the region. (417) 862-2787 www.springfieldarts.org

DB Design Salon & Art Gallery, 326 S. Campbell, presents The Art of Stevia Bonebrake, featuring the brightly colored and dynamic acrylic paintings of Bonebrake, a Springfield native. (417) 864-4343

Fashioned By Jaye, 212 S. Campbell, presents Photographs by Laina Jean Ridenhour. Fashioned By Jaye is a gallery and boutique featuring work by local artists and locally handmade jewelry, handbags, home decor, and gift items. (417) 862-4100 www.fashionedbyjaye.com

Figment Art Gallery and Culture House, 600 W. College Street in the Monarch Art Factory, is focusing potter Brian King as this month’s featured artist-in-residence. “The ritualistic, rhythmic process of plopping a lump of clay on to the wheel and coating each piece into shape is something that has intrigued and challenged me from day one,” King says. “In learning to center the clay, I have found a way to center myself and to have focus and patience. As I continue to create with clay I continue to create myself.” New works by King will be joined by those of Figment painters Kathlene Allie, Kelly Taylor, Abby Waters and Emily Elmore; painter/portraitist Annette Broy; mixed-media artist Nikki Howell; and photographer Cory Bates. (417) 868-8179

Fitzwilly’s Gifts & Antiques, 308 South Ave., is pleased to present Anne Cox’s newest works. A group of Landscapes of the Netherlands, done in acrylic, is one of Anne’s newest projects, and she has shown her works at Nelson Art Gallery in Kansas City, Lincoln University in Jefferson City, and has a permanent display of the five-piece Metamorphosis on the second floor of the Cox Health Hulston Cancer Center in memory of her first husband, the late Thomas Spencer Cox. (417) 866-3696

Gillioz Theatre, 325 Park Central East, presents Featured Artist Charli Stout. Stout’s primary medium is watercolor but she also enjoys acrylics. Many of her works are of local scenes, but a painting trip to Italy has inspired many of her more recent works. (417) 863-7843 www.gillioz.org

Global Fayre, 324 S. Campbell, features Cherrelle Hitchcock – Fashion Designer. Hitchcock holds top placements in competitions by Fashion Group International and MSU’s Project Runway. Her designs are primarily focused on custom work and one-of-a-kind clothing, allowing her to create truly unique pieces. A fall 2007 graduate of MSU with degrees in fashion design and fashion merchandising, Hitchcock’s future plans are targeted to special occasion wear and utilizing vintage fabrics and findings to create her one-of-a-kind pieces. (417) 873-7843 www.globalfayre.com

Good Girl Art Gallery, 215 W. Olive St., presents The Covering, an exhibit by artist Jesse Cox, for the month of August. The Covering is a collection of portraits in oil on wood, exploring the complex and often hidden world of women who choose to cover their heads – a reminder to the wearer and a statement to the observer of the adherent’s culture, background and faith. (417) 865-7055 www.goodgirlartgallery.com

Hawthorn Galleries Inc., 214 E. Walnut St., presents An Eclectic Collection of Fine Art accompanied by the live music of guitarist Dale Auguston. Choose from original paintings, prints, sculpture, glass work, and a unique selection of jewelry. (417) 866-6688 www.myspace.com/hawthorngallery

Keyes Gallery, 229 S. Market Ave., presents a new exhibition, 10 Million Colors, in the front showroom. 10 Million Colors features fresh new paintings by popular up-and-coming Springfield artist Gavyn Sky. “They say the human eye can see up to 10 million colors,” Sky says. “I want people to see them all in one of my paintings.” Also, in the secondary gallery showroom, visitors will find an Exciting Mix of Original Art by regular Keyes Gallery artists such as Daniel Flodin, Juan Pena, Billy Spicer, Debra Sutherland, and Hugh Yorty. And remember, Keyes Gallery not only sells high-quality artwork and rents showroom space for weddings and other events, but also offers an in-house frame shop, The Keyes Framery, which is now under new management. (417) 866-2722 www.keyesgallery.com

Metro Credit Union, 447 S. Campbell, joins the Art Walk in August with Live at the Met, celebrating the grand opening of its newly renovated building with live art and music. Sculptor and artist Richard Dudden will be working on a 50-foot jungle-themed mural in oil pastels in the credit union parking lot, and a diverse assortment of his sculptures and illustrations will be on display inside. Crafting in wood and metal since age 6 and drawing from the time he could hold a crayon, “What I love most about art is that it’s a naked expression of who I am and how I see myself in the world,” Dudden says. Accompanying the artist will be Lance Sitton & The Seed, a band whose musicians combine elements of roots surf rock, reggae, blues, jazz, folk and hip-hop to create a laid-back groove with an underlying vitality. (417) 869-9654 www.iownmybank.com

Nonna’s Italian American Cafe, 306 South Ave., continues its show Big Easy Jazz & Blues, paintings by Springfield native and New Orleans transplant Richard Lewis. (417) 831-1222 www.nonnascafe.com

Randy Bacon Studio & Gallery, 600 W. College in the Monarch Art Factory, features The Water Project: Part 2 by Springfield Photographer Doug Pitt. Although Pitt has had camera in hand for more than a decade, he has selectively exhibited his work only a few times locally and nationally, which makes this event truly special. His exhibit of photography in 2007 at the Bacon Gallery was a major success, with proceeds from the show helping to fund a well in the driest part of Africa. The Water Project: Part 2 features Pitt’s new photographs, taken during a 2008 trip to  Mali, Africa, where he focused on the cities of Timbuktu and Koro. The trip was taken on behalf of Worldserve, a worldwide organization that works to help people in more than 30 countries. Pitt was asked to document the work in the villages, and the results are an amazing series of photographs depicting the people and land of Africa. Pitt and the Bacons are donating the proceeds from the sales of the exhibit to help Worldserve finance water projects in Ethiopia. (417) 868-8179 www.randybacon.com

Springfield Hot Glass Studio, 314 S. Campbell Ave., presents Torchwork Treasures, emphasizing torchwork jewelry making using hard and soft glass. A working hot glass studio/gallery with facilities for furnace, torch and kiln work, Springfield Hot Glass Studio continually displays its current blown glass, beads and fused work, and offers live demonstrations on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and First Fridays. (417) 868-8181 www.springfieldhotglass.com

Springfield Pottery, a fine craft gallery and community clay center, is featuring New Work by Potter Nathan Falter, co-owner of Springfield Pottery. Springfield Pottery also represents the work of more than 40 local, regional, and national artists in clay, wood, metal, glass, fibers, photography, printmaking and more. (417) 864-4677 www.springfieldpottery.com

Studio 405, 405 W. Walnut St., features Barcelona-based artist Charity Blansit, in a show titled Mutation Sensation. (417) 865-0450.

Susan Sommer-Luarca Fine Art Gallery and Frame Shoppe, 221 Park Central South, is Celebrating the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics with Susan’s Official 2008 U.S. Olympic Team art. Susan will be autographing a limited number of her official Summer Olympics posters for the public, and she will offer a special First Friday-only price of $20 per signed poster, 6-8 p.m. during the Aug. 1 Art Walk. A portion of all proceeds goes to support the U.S. Olympic Team in its efforts at the summer games in Beijing this month. Susan’s Official Olympic art was unveiled at the International Swimmers Hall of Fame in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, by Gold Medalists Amy Van Dyken and Greg Louganis. The Publisher of the Official Olympic Art for the U.S. Olympic Committee has stated, “Susan Sommer-Luarca is one of the greatest living sports artists of our time.”

 

Please note: Drury Pool Art Center, MSU Student Exhibition Center and OTC Fine Arts Gallery & Studio are closed for the months of June July and August in accordance with the academic calendar. All three galleries will reopen in September. MSU Art & Design Gallery is open for regular summer hours and will rejoin the Art Walk in September.


Art is a Blast! at July 4 Art Walk

June 27, 2008

Bellwether Gallery of the Arts, Figment Gallery & Culture House and Randy Bacon Studio and Gallery are joining forces to present Art is a Blast, pairing outstanding art with free 4th of July fare, including hot dogs, chips, soda and even board games for the whole family during the July Art Walk.
First Friday Art Walk, a free, self-guided walking tour of downtown art galleries, will be held 6-10 p.m. July 4. The July event features arts demonstrations, live music, food and fun in 15 participating galleries.
For more details on the July 4 event, see the July Newsletter. Among the July displays:
• Fabulous Fish bring brilliant color to Springfield Hot Glass Studio in July. Tropical fish in vibrant tones will be crafted using a variety of techniques including torch work and glass blowing.
• Photography by Kassidi Bremer at Fashioned by Jaye features arresting images of the Ozarks, including familiar scenes and those off the beaten path.
• The Sounds of Billy Goodman brings the original works of singer-songwriter Goodman, a Poplar Bluff native, to Global Fayre.
• Rountree Fifth Grade Photography Class displays its works at Randy Bacon Studio & Gallery, which also features 50 new images from Randy’s current portfolio and ongoing shows Italy & Tuscany: Acrylic Paintings & Photographs by Helen DePietro and Sweet Life: Portraits and Stories of Cancer Survivors by Randy Bacon.
• What a Country presents works by Branson performer and naturalized American Yakov Smirnoff and local watercolor artist John Fulton, best known for his collage paintings of Springfield.
• Deby Gilley is the featured artist at the Gillioz Theatre. An award-winning artist recently inducted into The Best of Missouri Hands, Gilley’s prints have appeared in galleries and museums across Missouri.
• Paintings by Stephen Horan of Bella Vista, Ark., and Photography by J. Hayes of Springfield are the focus at Keyes Gallery in July.
• Painter Abby Waters is the featured artist for July at Figment Art Gallery & Culture House.
• Fabric & Fibers take center stage at the Creamery Arts Center, with textile artist Janice Brueggemann’s Riches of Stitches series, Needlework by Reeds Spring resident Linda Crist, and national award-winning Rebel Quilter Susan Leslie Lumsden.
• Big Easy Jazz & Blues is the subject of painter Richard Lewis’ display at Nonna’s Italian American Café.
• Sculptor Nick Willett presents his new work at Studio 405.
• Teresa Dilsaver, best known for her scenes of the Ozarks, displays a variety of subjects showcasing the wider scope of her work at Fitzwilly’s Gifts & Antiques.
For more details on these First Friday events, please see the complete July Gallery Listing in the July Newsletter.
For more information about First Friday Art Walk, contact Clarissa French, communications director, at (417) 849-8255 or sunoficarus@yahoo.com.


June 6 Art Walk Includes New Gallery Debut

May 28, 2008

     First Friday Art Walk, a free, self-guided walking tour of downtown art galleries, will be held 6-10 p.m. June 6, featuring arts demonstrations, live music, food and fun in 17 participating galleries. For details and an Art Walk map, check out the June Newsletter, now online. 
     Exciting features in June include the debut of a new gallery, Figment Art Gallery & Culture House, at the Monarch Art Factory.
     Figment is the latest project of arts entrepreneurs Randy and Shannon Bacon. In addition to the Figment opening, the adjacent Randy Bacon Studio & Gallery will offer two new art displays, Italy & Tuscany: Acrylic Paintings & Photographs by Helen DePietro and new images from Sweet Life: Portraits and Stories of Cancer Survivors by Randy Bacon, plus The Art of Music, a pair of free Gallery Sounds concerts by local favorite Black Box Revue and Memphis singer/songwriter Natalie Hoffman.

June Highlights

  • The Artists of Noircore Media bring a fresh and intriguing perspective to the historic Gillioz Theatre
  • Louisiana Artist Greg Chappell makes his second appearance at DB Design Salon & Art Gallery
  • Celebrating Freedom, a juried art display with a patriotic theme, features works by the Plein Aire, Splatter and ArtWorx groups at Bellwether Gallery of the Arts
  • Oil Paintings by Jim Beasley at Good Girl Art Gallery features works by the former curator of collections and exhibitions for the Springfield Art Museum
  • The National Arts Program displays works by Springfield city employees and their families at The Creamery Arts Center
  • Stephanie Dark presents the Goth-inspired artwork of mixed-media artist Stephanie Witte at Studio 405
  • Family Art Night at the Downtown Y offers affordable child care for ages 3 months-12 years, 6:30-9:30 p.m.during First Friday Art Walk. The cost is $10 per child and includes activities, healthy snacks and an art activity to take home. The June activity is tile painting. Also, articipants in last month’s Family Art Night can pick up their ceramic mugs at their convenience. Contact Kyla Bentley, 417.862.8962, ext. 149, for more information or to pre-register.
For more details on these and other First Friday events, please see the complete June Gallery Listing in the June Newsletter. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more information about First Friday Art Walk, contact Clarissa French, communications director, at (417) 849-8255 or sunoficarus@yahoo.com.

 

 

 


May 2 Art Walk kicks off Artsfest weekend

April 22, 2008

Springfield’s Downtown Arts District is THE place to be May 2-4, beginning with First Friday Art Walk and ending with Artsfest on Historic Walnut Street. View the May Newsletter here.

First Friday Art Walk, a free, self-guided walking tour of downtown art galleries, will be held 6-10 p.m. May 2, with 25 arts venues featuring arts demonstrations, live music, food and fun, plus the Rally in Patton Alley with Ozark Greenways, and ArtsFiesta! the international kickoff event for Artsfest, in Founders Park.

Gallery Highlights for May
• Out and About, featuring new paintings and art prints by award-winning Springfield artist Debra Sutherland at the Keyes Gallery;
• Ozark Area Potters Pamela and John Hagen at Springfield Pottery;
• A Kaleidoscope of Works by Rolla artist Paula Turney Brewer, SRAC Artist in Residence Ann Meese and area elementary and middle school art teachers; and
• The Work of Jack Chikaya, an artist based in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, at Global Fayre.

The Rally in Patton Alley
A special feature of the May Art Walk is the Rally in Patton Alley, presented 6-9 p.m. in partnership with Ozark Greenways. Bike to the Art Walk and park it with Ozark Greenways. Patton Alley will be closed off for bike parking, displays of art bikes, funky bikes, city bus bike rack demonstrations and registration for Bike, Bus, Walk Week, May 12-16.  Help make Springfield more pedestrian and bicycle friendly! Also, if you’re among the first 100 registrants, you’ll enjoy free Andy’s Frozen Custard.

ArtsFiesta!
Concurrent with Art Walk and the Rally in Patton Alley is ArtsFiesta! in Founders Park, a Cinco de Mayo celebration of Mexican art, culture and music with an authentic Mariachi band from Springfield’s sister city, Tlaquepaque, Mexico. ArtsFiesta! is sponsored by Artsfest, the Springfield Sister Cities Association and American Family Insurance. Admission is $3; children 10 and under free.

Family Art Night
Family Art Night at the Downtown Y offers affordable child care for ages 3 months-12 years, 6:30-9:30 p.m. during First Friday Art Walk. The cost is $10 per child and includes activities, healthy snacks and an art activity to take home. Contact Kyla Bentley, 417.862.8962, ext. 149, for more information or to pre-register.

Artsfest
After the whirlwind of Friday night festivities, don’t forget Artsfest on Historic Walnut Street, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. May 3 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. May 4. Tickets are $3 in advance, $5 at the gate and children 10 and under get in free.

For more information about First Friday Art Walk, contact Clarissa French, communications director, at 417.849.8255 or sunoficarus@yahoo.com.


First Friday is April 4

March 26, 2008

First Friday Art Walk will be held 6-10 p.m. April 4 in the Downtown Arts District.

Details appear in the April Newsletter, but highlights of this month’s walk include:

  • Live jazz in celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month
  • Works by Central High School’s International Baccalaureate program at the Creamery Arts Center
  • Refusing to Look Away:Bearing Witness to Violencefeatures internationally known contemporary artists exploring the roots of violent behavior at the MSU Art & Design Gallery
  • First-time venues Dake Wells Architecture and Bailey’s American Grill join the Art Walk with photography exhibits.
  • Family Art Night at the Downtown Y features Flamenco dance and Spanish culture, and the art activity is masks. The cost is $10 per child and hours are 6:30-9:30 p.m. Call Kyla Bentley at 417.862.8962, ext. 149, for more information.

First Friday is March 7

February 28, 2008

The March 7 First Friday Art Walk, 6-10 p.m. in the Downtown Arts District, includes live art demonstrations in painting, sculpting and glass blowing, live music, including vignettes from Cosi fan tutte at Hyde Gallery, opening receptions, affordable child care, the Self Employment in the Arts conference and a shuttle bus between downtown, Drury Pool Art Center and the Creamery Arts Center.

Among the March 7 highlights:

Family Art Night at the downtown YMCA, 6:30-9 p.m.,  provides art activities, storytelling, play and a healthy snack for only $10 per child. The March 7 art activities are Stomp Dancing rhythm and dance for kids, and Texture Painting. Contact Kyla Bentley, 417.862.8962, ext. 149 for more information.

The Self Employment in the Arts OzArts Conference at Drury University March 7-8 features seminars on how people can turn their passion into a living. There are 28 breakout sessions and topics range from Artist as Bookkeeper by Kelley Still to Carving Your Own Path: Surviving the Music Business as a Creative Artist by Mark Bilyeu and The New Free-Lancer: How Email, Blogging, Etc., Have Changed the Way People are Hired to Write by Matt Lemmon. The cost is $50 and enrollment continues until March 7 at http://www.drury.edu/ejc/sea/regform.cfm. The full SEA Conference program schedule can be viewed online at http://www2.drury.edu/mirror/SEA_Program/seaprogram20080225c.pdf
Shuttle transportation during the March 7 Art Walk is provided courtesy of the SEA Conference, a project of the Edward Jones Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

The March ARTalk, part of the Springfield Regional Arts Council’s ARTalks speaker’s series, features artists Dale Augustson (stained-glass), Joan Gentry (floor cloth/collage), Jan Bennicoff (oils, acrylics, watercolors) and Cynthia Moore (printmaking) offering insights into their lives as artists, 6 to 7 p.m. at the Creamery Arts Center, 411 Sherman Parkway. 

See the March Newsletter  for First Friday Art Walk, now online, for more information. The Art Walk map is also available online.


First Friday is Feb. 1

January 24, 2008

Come to the Downtown Arts District 6-10 p.m. Feb. 1 to experience art, food, music and live demonstrations in 25 gallery venues during First Friday Art Walk.  For more information, view the February Newsletter.


February Newsletter now online

January 24, 2008

First Friday Art Walk’s February Newsletter  has just been posted to the site in printable pdf format. The February Map is also available online.


Y Provides Child Care, Activities for Art Walk

January 15, 2008

The Downtown YMCA has stepped up to offer Family Art Night, 6:30-9 p.m., each First Friday for ages 3 months to 12 years. For only $10 per child, parents can drop the kids at the Downtown Y, and while Mom and Dad enjoy the Art Walk the children will enjoy an exciting art project to take home, age-appropriate fun such as interactive storytelling and inflatables, and a healthy snack. For more information or to pre-register, call Kyla Bentley at 417.862.8962 ext. 149.


Bellwether Presents ‘Ethics 101′

January 10, 2008

Bellwether Gallery of the Arts, in partnership with Mizzou Alumni Greater Ozarks Chapter, presents John C. Maxwell’s “Ethic$ 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know,” a book discussion for young management professionals, 7-8 p.m. Thursdays, Jan. 24-Feb. 28. Maxwell’s book is $10 and can be purchased at the event. For more information, call 881-2614, or pre-register by e-mail at celyndab@earthlink.net. Located at Main and College in the Downtown Arts District, Bellwether Gallery is a project of the Arts Forum at Second Baptist Church in Springfield.