A new arts venture is in town. Brush Art Ventures has opened softly over the past several months, but last week founder Alison Brush threw a big party. Brush’s new enterprise is housed in a Dynia “Metro Plateau” unit, perched above Broadway, near the intersection of that throughway and Highway 22.
Brush represents a handful of regional artists, exhibiting their works at 1085 West Broadway, Unit 1123. The concept is similar to that of apartment galleries popular in major arts cities like New York: Set up an exhibition in your own space and open it up to the public. Dynia’s dynamic structures, marked by high ceilings, industrial finishes and big windows are perfect for home/public gallery space.
At Brush’s recent opening for fledgling wildlife and landscape photographer Chuck Schneebeck and sculptor Amy Unfried, the place was packed. And the crowd was new. Schneebeck’s conservation work and Unfried’s connections to Jackson’s art world at large attracted sportsmen, collectors, fishing luminaries, artists, Mr. Dynia and a host of friends. Brush Art Ventures is, in fact, a gallery. Galleries have shows, and here’s hoping Ms. Brush keeps the energy going! Check out her website: www.brushartventures.com, to see a list of represented artists. With the departure of Culture Front salons, a hole needs to be filled. Maybe it can be filled here?
Many thanks to Ms. Brush for supplying images for this post! I took a few shots; hers are better!
Brush happens to represent noted California artist Jeremy Morgan, who opens a show Friday, Feb 28th, alongside 12 local artists, at the Art Association. Morgan will be there! Thomas Macker relays that the opening reception runs 5:30 – 7:30 pm, and will feature Morgan’s work and the work of his dedicated students from years past. This year’s workshop, “Realism to Abstraction,” offers a fresh opportunity to study with a master right here in Jackson, says Macker. www.artassociation.org .

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1967 – Screenprint, 14 x 14″
Lots of new work in at Heather James Fine Art’s Jackson gallery. Including this beauty, a classic, our generation’s big art flag: Robert Indiana’s “LOVE.” The gallery is open this month, stop in and warm to the message! www.heatherjames.com.
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Behind the eight ball, as they say.
In the weeks leading up to my recent getaway I was so busy putting the finishing touches on freelance assignments, writing this blog and preparing for the trip that I failed to notice Meg Daly’s news about resigning her Culture Front website and its related efforts. Her reasons for doing so are there for anyone to read on Culture Front’s blog, still live.
Daly provided fresh ways for our community to look at and think about art. So many of us vigorously participated in Culture Front’s salons at The Rose. When Daly was preparing to launch her site she had the grace to invite me to tea to talk about her vision. Many would have simply and bluntly launched, without bothering to communicate to me that a new local arts blog was on the horizon.
I won’t forget that, and I’ll miss the collaboration we shared.
Thank you, Meg. Where’s my heart emoticon?