First Friday–May 3rd!

First Friday is tomorrow and we have a wonderfully talented featured arts for May: Michelle Pendergrass. Through the use of mixed media and acrylics, Michelle is able to process life through her creativity. “Ugly and beautiful intersect on canvas as I work through figuring out who I am and what’s left of me as I dig through the layers to unearth that which I thought was dead. The loss is extravagant. The Grace is sufficient.” –From Michelle’s artist statement. You can find more information about Michelle and her art on her website.

Join us tomorrow evening, May 3rd, from 6-9PM to meet the artist and check out her work.

Circling by Hannah Hadley

HannahHadleyCircling

I had the pleasure of meeting Hannah last summer at the gallery. As a senior in high school, she has vision for her art. She also seems to have an old soul–one where she is able to see beauty around her in unique ways.
Hannah’s new exhibit will be exploring the relationships of wholeness-growth-&-tribulation through film photography and abstract art. Themes such as love, mystery, worship and struggle are evident in her art. She is able to see the Lord’s beauty in a the world around her.
Come see her new exhibit, Circling, February 1st. She will be hanging out that evening between 6-9PM to answer any questions and to talk about her art.
See you then!
-Julia

A call for artists!

As 2012 comes to an end, we are looking for artists to showcase for 2013. We will continue to promote the art of new, local and emerging artists. If this is you, please consider applying to show in our space. If not, but you know someone who would qualify, spread the word!

Our applications and exhibit guidelines can be found under the ‘Gallery’ tab. Please look over the guidelines and consider applying.

We look forward to continuing to showcase great local and emerging artists!

If you have any questions, please email Julia at fpartsandbooks@gmail.com

First Friday–September 7th

Join us tomorrow night for A Family Affair. This exhibit will showcase the work of Tad Lupton, Sandi Ballard and Alexandria Pierson. While each artist produces individual work, they work together to create beautiful pieces. Sandi and Alexandria capture moments with a camera, and Tad paints images that express the emotion found in the photography.

There will be an artist reception from 6-9PM.

First Friday–July 6th

The Gallery will feature Fletcher Place resident Gabriel Mass. His exhibit, People I Know, will open July 6th.

The exhibit, People I Know, is a portrait series featuring real people in the the artist’s life. From the subject’s facial expressions to the small details of their surroundings, each photograph gives you a small glimpse into their lives, and allows you to create your own story as you view Gabriel’s work.

Please join us on First Friday, July 6th,  for an artist reception from 6-9pm! And rumor is there will be live music that evening as well.

First Friday in June

We saw a great turnout last night at Fletcher Place Arts and Books. Thank you to those who came out to support local artist Michael Arbuckle. His current work, Let it Glow, is an amazing combination of color, texture and light.

Check out his website or stop by the Gallery to see his work. Check out one of his pieces below.

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Lessons from a Grand Opening

To pull a “Fight Club” reference, the first lesson to be learned in an event such as a Grand Opening, is that there is always a lesson to be learned.  My primary lesson for this event: just breathe; it will be ok.

The 24-hours prior to our event were pretty chaotic, which I’m sure is pretty typical.  Due to extenuating circumstances, we were not able to arrange or hang the art until Thursday afternoon/evening.  While the artists did their thing, the rest of us were cleaning furniture, painting trim, running errands.  Just breathe, I kept telling myself, it will all get done.

Here are some pics of the process:

The pieces sit, waiting to be hung.

Doug finishes up the trim on the plum wall.

The exhibit begins to take shape.

By Friday morning, it was apparent–with both West Coast Tacos and our caterer unable to attend–that we were going to have a severe shortage of the snacks I promised.  I put out an urgent plea via text and was so blessed to have members of our community bring things.  We ended up with so much that we didn’t have enough table space!  Thank you to those of you who came to our rescue!

The opening itself went smashingly.  We saw nearly 150 people from all walks of life and places in Indy; it was such a pleasure to meet them and introduce them to our Gallery and vision for the space.

Our new sign!

Jeff Litsey talks with visitors Scott and Charlie.

Enjoying refreshments and conversation.

Visitors enjoying the exhibit.

When all was said and done, the joy of the opening far outweighed the chaos preceding it.  I am so excited to see how this dream continues to develop!