1708 Gallery

InLight Richmond is a temporary juried art show that displays works of art relating to the theme of light.  On the evening of Friday, October 22, 2010 Richmond will host the third annual InLight show, juried by Amanda McDonald Crowley of the Eyebeam in New York.  The show will take place in outdoor public venues in the historic Shockoe Slip.

Past InLight shows have included performance and visual art as well as interactive projects and large-scale projections.  Each year, the show also includes a Community Lantern Parade as well as an exhibition of Wearable Art.  1708 hosts a series of lantern making workshops that are open to the public during the summer.

Artists from around the world are encouraged to submit project proposals for new works that explore, include or are inspired by light.  The deadline for entries is June 21, 2010.

For more information about InLight Richmond click here.  If you are an artist wishing to submit a proposal, a direct link to the artist’s information page for 2010 is available here. If being involved interests you, but you do not wish to submit a proposal, don’t worry!  We are still looking for volunteers.  If you are interested in helping out, please contact us at: info@1708gallery.org

Rendering the North features photographs and sculpture by Thea Augustina Eck inspired by the concepts of exploration, myth and the unknown. This recent body of work reflects Eck’s own research into British explorations of the Arctic and Antarctic that took place from the 1800’s through the early 1900’s.   Eck uses both her artistic imagination and historical knowledge to present the viewer with a narrative that features the phenomena found within solitude and the tragedy of history. To learn more about this exhibition on view April 23 through May 29, click here. You can also visit the artist’s website: www.theaeck.com

This month the gallery is also featuring a collection of works created through 1708′s education and outreach program “Arts for All”.  1708 Gallery’s Arts for All outreach program engages individuals who are experiencing homelessness and those affected by physical and developmental disabilities in the creative process. The exhibition will feature the work created in a series of workshops over the past year led by sculptor Robert Walz and multimedia artist Mariam Eqbal.  This work is created by students at The Greater Richmond ARC and ARC’s Camp Baker and by individuals served by The Daily Planet and the Henrico County Community Services Board.

The exhibition will also feature documentaries of some of the workshop participants produced by students from the VCU Art School’s Kinetic Imaging program. You can find more information about this exhibition and the Arts for All program here.

The exhibition Reflecting and Collecting also opened May 1st at the Linden Row Inn. The show is curated by Amie Oliver, 1708 Gallery and Linden Row Inn Liaison and features works by 19 artists who live or have lived in Virginia.  Each of these artists created a work in response to a piece within the permanent collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. This multi-media exhibition celebrates the reopening of the VMFA and the role it’s art collection can play as a muse in the creative process. This exhibition will be on view at the Linden Row Inn until August 25th. To learn more about this satellite exhibition click here.

You can also visit these links for more information:

www.lindenrowinn.com
www.vmfa.state.va.us

1708 Gallery’s current exhibition Forest for the Trees is an exploration in the effects of globalization, both personal and for the world at large. Chad Erpelding’s layered paintings map out global corporations and the connections they create between countries, while Dana Sperry’s videos question how contemporary environments effect our sense of belonging.

On Saturday, March 27th at 3:00 p.m., 1708 Gallery will feature a special expanded talk by Dana Sperry. An experimental video artist, many of Sperry’s pieces convey a sense of isolation and disconnect. Through careful film editing and composition, he erases the images of people in the videos, leaving only bits and pieces and thin shuddering lines.

In addition to speaking about his past and current video work, Dana Sperry will also discuss his Ugly Objects project. A departure from his usual work, Ugly Objects is a collaborative, interactive project with fellow artist Natalya Pinchuk. In December 2008, Sperry and Pinchuk relocated to de Wallen, the largest red light district in Amsterdam, staying for one month to start Ugly Objects: Amsterdam. With Ugly Objects, Sperry and Pinchuk explore concepts of aesthetics and renewal by asking the local residents to donate ugly objects for alterations. Through a process of interviews on the definitions of “ugly” and personal stories, Sperry and Pinchuk had one year to alter these objects and return them to their owners.

Please visit www.danasperry.com and www.uglyobjects.com for more information.

We hope to see you on Saturday, March 27th, for this special talk!

First Fridays have becone a bona fide tradition with the Richmond crowd — from the artists to the professionals, from the hipsters to the families, from the educators to the students. With thousands flocking to Broad Street on the first Friday of every month, it is no wonder Style Weekly has named the Galleries and Businesses of First Fridays Art Walk as Richmonders of the Year. 1708 Gallery is not only proud of our involvement with the event, we are honored to be a part of such an amazing group of organizations. Every First Friday, we open our doors at 6 p.m. to the welcome sounds of patrons greeting friends, discussing the latest exhibition and gossip of all sorts.

The next First Friday will be Friday, February 5 from 6 to 10 p.m. Painting (in part, and in pieces) by Barbara Campbell Thomas will be on display for your viewing pleasure. The exhibition comprises large pieced together paintings on paper, small highly layered paintings on canvas and a series of mid-sized collages made in tandem. All her works employ an intensely colorful and fragmentary abstract language of shape, line and texture.

In addition to the formal manipulation of her works, Campbell Thomas constructs her images by delving into the literal construct of painting – shattering the medium’s typically unblemished expanse.

Barbara Campbell Thomas will be giving a free artist talk on Saturday, February 13 at 1 p.m. at 1708 Gallery. Her show will also be closing this day as well.

We hope to see you all at the next First Friday on February 5, and every First Friday after that!

With the success of the first talk20, 1708 Gallery and C3: the Creative Change Center are hosting the second talk20 event on Wednesday, February 10 at 6 p.m. at 1708 Gallery. The event is free and open to the public.

talk20 is based on a series of short presentations of 20 slides each. Each presenter has 20 seconds per slide to express his or her very own artistic voice. The event will feature a hybrid of educators and professionals working in some branch of the creative field.

Participants for the upcoming event include artist and founder of the Real Small Art Tiffany Glass Ferreira; innovative and sustainable architecture Tamara Van Meter; painter Susan Singer (best known for her portraiture of naked women); LEGO artist Brian Korte; visionary architect Peter Fraser; artistic director for Amaranth Contemporary Dance Scott Puttman; visual artist Rosemary Jesionowski, and photographer Gordon Stettinius.

talk20 is not simply a lecture, but it focuses more along the lines of a gathering, an open forum for the dissemination of ideas in art, architecture and design.

Doors for the event open at 5:30 p.m. Complimentary light food will be provided by F.W. Sullivan’s, and a cash bar will also be available. To register for the event, please click HERE.

1708 Gallery’s latest endeavor, A Muse Among Us / MINDS WIDE OPEN: Virginia Celebrates Women in the Arts 2010, can be seen at the historic Linden Row Inn. This wonderfully diverse, yet undeniably feminine, show can be seen from January 8 to April 25, 2010 — with Arts Advocacy Day being celebrated on January 25.

Featuring the works of eight outstandingly talented female artists, this show represents the obsessions, curiosities and desires these women wish to share with the world. Whether she finds her muse to inspire the playful, the ironic, the detached or the compassionate…each woman’s muse is among us, ready to show herself.

A Muse Among Us features the mixed media work of Hetty Baiz; the photography of Regi Franz; the fiber work of Colleen Judge; the paintings on paper and canvas of Megan Marlatt; the metals of Cindy Myron; the paintings of Jody L. Symula; the bookworks and collage of Grace K. A. Teeples, and the photography of Jennifer Watson. The exhibition was beautifully curated by 1708 Gallery board member and Linden Row Inn Liaison Amie Oliver; she made these works flow together seamlessly with one another and their surroundings.

The Linden Row Inn is a space rich with history. The curatorial work in this venue is meant to contrast the period interior and architecture with the contemporary art that will complement the space without overshadowing Linden Row’s innate wonder.

For more information or to purchase a work of art please call the 1708 Gallery staff at 804.643.1708 or curator, Amie Oliver at 804.615.0754.

If you’re looking for a fun night out or you simply love art and a great deal, we have the ideal opportunity for you — the Small Wonder Pre-Opening Sale and Reception.

The Pre-Opening Sale and Reception will be held at 1708 Gallery on Thursday, December 3 from 6 to 9 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $20 here, or you can purchase your ticket at the door for $25.

At the event, you will be afforded the best selection and first opportunity to purchase Small Wonder works and place bids on the silent auction experiences. The evening will also feature complimentary appetizers, cash bar and live music by flamenco guitarist Leah Kruszewski.

For more information about Small Wonder and to see a list of participating artists, go here.