Why does art make you feel good?

I look at images of art that people send us. And I walk through the halls of the art center and see new works of art. And looking at blogs and images that surround me, I am filled with joy or amazement or just a great feeling of bliss.

Why? What about you? Where you born this way? Wanting to be around art? Wanting to be immersed in it?

As for me, I just can't get enough. I am SO addicted! How about you?

This image is a painting by Melody Gulick that I own. I love it. Glenda Kotchish

On Donating artwork to causes.

Why do organizations ask artists for donations of artwork for fundraisers? Is it because:

• People look to artists for their creativity knowing that the artist will be able to produce something amazing?
• Once it was a unique idea for raising funds?
• Now it is a traditional way to raise funds?

Why should artists donate their artwork to causes?

• For the exposure?
• To be supportive of the cause?
• To provide the general public with an opportunity to buy original artwork. Although art is available to the general public in many forms, people don’t actually see artwork and the general public rarely purchases original art on their own initiative?
• For a fun project to work on with a theme and a target date?

What are you thoughts about this?

At Art Works, we love the EGG ART project that we partner on with Easter Seals Eggstravaganza. How many ways can you scramble eggs? Millions. The egg shape is AMAZING and lends itself to so many possibilities. We can’t wait to see what the artists come up with for this years’ Easter Seal Egg Art show.

Drop off entries at Art Works now until February 21, 2010. For more information check out our website www.artworksrichmond.com/Calendar.htm

The Zone - Art and Science

You've heard of The Science Museum of Virginia, located in the historic Broad Street Station at 2500 West Broad Street.We took a tour of the museum before the holidays and it's AMAZING. An artist can be inspired in this really cool place. AND they are considering a super project!

The Science Museum is considering setting aside space for periodic residencies for visual artists in all media. We're talking about a 25'x25' space for you to construct an art project of your choice. Right now, it's an idea. The reality of the project depends on the interest of artists and their proposed ideas for using the space for projects.

Interested? Then, read the requirements and put together a proposal. Proposals are due by March 30, 2010. Click here to learn the details: http://www.artworksrichmond.com/TheZone.htm

Your proposal is critical to making this project become a reality. So be creative, be wonderful and be yourself in preparing your proposal!

Contact Glenda Kotchish 804.291.1400 if you have questions about your proposal and send all proposals to Art Works - 320 Hull Street Richmond, VA 23224 or email them to glenda@artworksrichmond.com

Finally, do not contact the Science Museum. Please understand that “The Zone,” is a proposed area at the Science Museum of Virginia for artist residencies, and is not yet a reality. If you have a proposal for “The Zone,” please DO NOT contact the museum directly as the staff cannot answer questions or give you guidance, since this project is under consideration only.

If you have a question, you may contact, Art Works, Glenda Kotchish at 804 291.400

Earth Day & Night in Manchester

Very exciting. Earth Day in Manchester has been going on for 5 years. Wow. Now there's talk of raising it a notch or two - more fun - more things to do - more food - more green. Stay tuned.

Karung guni at Art Works

Don't miss this. Melody Gulick, resident artist at Art Works has created a Karung Guni on the fence at Art Works. Melody says:

Karung guni is a Malay phrase for "gunnysack". In Indonesia there are men that go out to gather recycling for a living/profit. In my case I am collecting unwanted items to be reused.

Recycling is not uncommon in Manchester including anyone from: households, businesses (well not so much for businesses, because the city does not allow businesses to recycle even though we pay a monthly recycle fee ), and individuals who collect aluminum cans and metal (including our metal Art Works sign) to cash in at the "Pocket Money" recycle center on the corner of Hull and 7th. And artists are major recyclers, as they have visions of transforming most anything into art.

In fact we see more and more mixed-media artworks in the galleries and are amazed by the creativity and uses of discarded materials.

Melody used a studio at Art Works to store her materials - plastic bags of various colors. She tore these in strips and during the months of September and October of this year, she spent a portion of each day weaving and crocheting the material into the fence.

The result is a image of crocheted trees to contrast the roughness of Art Works' parking lot and its industrial feeling. She says:

The three challenges to this installation are materials, time and a conviction that will carry me to the end. The use of only recycled materials are used on this installation.

It is a large project that will go around the north, west and south side of the parking lot. I would like to complete the project in a little over a month's time. Each day that goes by on a large project, one goes through a psychological process. I am sure many artists have been through this.

I decided to use the image of crocheted trees to contrast the roughness of the parking lot and its industrial feeling.

The project is to help inspire the idea that something can be made from anything ... and everything is beautiful if we look and try hard enough, hope and work for it.

One day's thoughts while at work:

"Hooks, rings, tunes similar to "Close Encounter of the 3rd Kind", old balloons melted from the sun, bubbled street paint, green moss find every available place to live, a feather from a pigeon and a fitting note that read...make a list of questions to send to general/members. Before Thanksgiving."

So now Earth Day Festival plans are taking shape in Manchester. Last year yielded five real, live green trees planted in front of Art Works on Hull Street. We tenderly watered the trees throughout the summer and pull the weeds from around the roots. No weed would compete for those long-awaited trees. Yeah Earth Day!

The next stage of the Karung Guni project is the slow removal. What goes up, must come down. It's part of the process!

For more about Art Works click here: http://www.artworksrichmond.com/ and Melody Gulick http://www.artworksrichmond.com/MelodyGulick.htm

End of the Year Thoughts

We've wrapped up 5 years of being Art Works - Studios and Galleries.

I've taken these few weeks in December thinking about "what next"? I am all about being all you can be, doing your best, shining like a bright star. So since Art Works is my passion (the art, the business, the people) I pass on all these "do your best" requirements to the gallery.

Really, it's more than a gallery (not to worry, not going into a marketing spiel here)... It's an entity. It's energy and so it's a living thing. Ideas go into it and become manifest. Now here's the rub, keep the ideas positive and keep the ideas open because that way it can evolve into something beyond our imagination.

So what's next? I'm kicking around how to be the connection between the artist and the patron. Recession -smeshing . . . if you want it (art), you will get it (art). So stay open and stay positive and stay happy!

Glenda

P. S. If you want to be a part of this, contact me. glenda@artworksrichmond.com

Art Works June 2008 4th Friday Opening

Visitors and Richmond residents can include culture, art and education in their summer plans at Art Works. A variety of new shows, mediums and learning potential are on exhibit at Art Works:
·CONVERSATIONS IN CLOTH: ART QUILTS THAT SPEAK TO THE SOUL by Myrah Brown Green
·WINDOWS TO RICHMOND’S GAY COMMUNITY by ROSMY Youth, Kathy Benham, Kerri Douthat, Collin Gladin,Anthony Stroud and Kim Lithenhaus.
·JUNE ALL MEDIA SHOW
·MINDS AND COLORS by Daniel Rettinger
·THE NEW HORIZONS by Janet Visser
·MARTI FANN RECENT WORKS

The artists’ reception will be from 7-10pm on June 27th with by Kenny Martin downstairs and Pam McCarthy upstairs. A dance presentation will be performed by TO THE EARTH – TRIBAL/FUSION DANCE at 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. The exhibits continue through July 20, 2008.