Earth art at Ciao; Center Street galleries on the move

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

By Henry Sweets

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Ciao Gallery’s “Art for the Earth” exhibition, to be held in honor of Earth Day celebrations, will feature works with a conservation message and art made from recycled materials.

The Earth Day special event will feature work by as many as 15 different artists. But it’s not just an art show, said Michelle Walters, the gallery owner.

Walters hopes to create a festival-like atmosphere much like other Earth Day happenings around the globe. She encourages attendees to bring a picnic lunch or an instrument to join in an open-style jam session. The gallery plans to set up picnic tables with refreshments outside for guests. Families can bring their children to take part in a free art project facilitated by a Ciao member.

The idea for the show came after a discussion with artist friends about how artists were actually some of the first recyclers, Walters said. An artist’s creativity drives the need to find uses for available materials that may not have been previously conceived.
Walters also said that the lack of a dependable recycling program in Idaho, where the gallery first opened, encouraged her to raise awareness of conservation in rural places, where she said people often are separated from the consequences of their consumerism.
A percentage of the gallery’s proceeds from the show’s sales will go to help recycling efforts in Victor and Driggs, Idaho.

The show’s featured artists could each submit up to five pieces of artwork. Walters said she was pleased the show received a wide variety of works. In addition to drawings, paintings and photographs, there will be batiks by Abby Paffrath, Polaroid transfer prints by Sarah Lott and collages made from recycled materials by Bobbi Miller.
Some of the work carries an implicit message about conservation, while others are a celebration of nature, Walters said.

Kathy Lippert, the only non-local in the show, submitted photographs of old vehicles being reclaimed by natural forces. The photos were taken in southwest Wyoming.
“Closer examination of my own intentions in creating these images reveals a coincidentally symbolic relationship between these rusted-out, abandoned relics and our society’s own antiquated love affair with a consumptive, wasteful way of life,” her artist’s statement said.

The “Art for the Earth” celebration takes place from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday at the Ciao gallery, 1921 Moose-Wilson Road.

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Center Street’s gallery district is changing, with some dealers finding a new home on Broadway.

The Meyer Milagros gallery is changing their name to the Diehl Gallery and will re-open after customizing the building most recently vacated by the Old Town Grille. Jennifer Smith said the need for a larger, more functional space, as well as high rents, drove her gallery to look for a new location. She said they now will have a more contemporary space better suited to the gallery’s purpose.

The new gallery will have poured-concrete floors and moveable internal walls. The windows will be expanded to provide better natural lighting, while allowing sidewalk traffic to peer inside. The Façade will be covered in travertine tile. The gallery is considering raising the ceiling if it is structurally possible.

The moveable walls and an outdoor patio will allow the gallery to adapt for different types of events. An additional 1,000 square feet of space will allow it to take on a few new artists, but the style of the art will not change, Smith said.

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Trailside Gallery has a new look to house the same art but hopes to grow a new contemporary art division that will someday have its own location. Trailside has already moved into their new location at 130 E. Broadway, which almost triples the gallery’s square footage. They also removed part of the existing second floor of the former Jackson More Furniture building to create a vaulted entryway with glass walls and a double fireplace. The airy space also has a library sitting area by the upstairs fireplace with art books and magazines.

“We went for a more contemporary feel, but we have some more earth tones, so there will be a little bit of both worlds,” said Kim Fletcher, the gallery’s director.
Trailside has taken on more furniture artists and wood sculptors in addition to their regular artists. Fletcher said that contemporary art is becoming more popular in the valley, and they will start filling that need.

The gallery will carry some new, contemporary artists and display their work upstairs. The new division of trailside will eventually move into its own space, but there are no plans for that now.

Courtesy
“Chevy” photo by Kathy Lippert.

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Earth art at Ciao; Center Street galleries on the move | Planet JH News Article: Arts Beat

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