It's holiday crunch time and with just over a month left to do shopping many of New London’s galleries are opening shows with a focus on gift art. Two of these shows, and are sponsored by and take place in the gallery itself and at , respectively.
The New London Harbour Towers opened its show on Nov. 11, covering five floors and much of the 12,000 feet of wall space with work by over 20 artists. The towers originally opened up their doors for events to integrate the surrounding community, and also to increase the potential for the sale of unoccupied units by giving people a chance to view the space and various open units.
Even with many model units open for the public to view, the focus was still on the featured photography, mixed media collage, acrylic, watercolor and sculpture work. Several hundred guests were in attendance, filtering in and out of the ballroom and weaving through the various corridors and vacant units displaying work. Many went home happy with purchases made that evening.
The space itself also opens up many options for artists. These possibilities include hanging large scale work in the ballroom, as Katie Fogg did with eight-foot acrylic on panel works.
“Deck the Halls” serves to benefit Hygienic Art, which receives a 30 percent commission on all pieces sold at the event.
At the Hygienic itself the sixth annual Art=Gift show opened on Nov. 19 and runs through Dec. 23, featuring nearly fifty artists displaying collections of small works on sale for between $10 and $200.
Once again there was a broad selection of art styles and mediums to choose from. The plentiful options included handmade jewelry, small canvas work, inspirational posters, photography and mixed media work that glows under blacklight.
Art=Gift is an unusual show because the walls are constantly evolving. Usually when a piece sells the buyer needs to wait until the closing date to take their purchase home. However, for this show the buyer has the option of taking the piece right off the wall. There was also the option of having any work purchased during the opening reception gift wrapped.
This method of sales leaves lots of open spaces on the walls, giving the artists an opportunity to restock the shelves. If you didn’t find that perfect piece in your first trip to the Hygienic, don’t give up because every week there will likely be a new set of replacement work.
Also worth checking out at Hygienic Art is the Student Show, featuring works produced by students in grades 9 through 12. Highlighting student works in studio and digital arts, the exhibition will be on display until December 23.
For more information on these current holiday art shows you may visit their respective websites at NLHTOnline.com for Harbour Towers and Hygienic.ning.com for the Hygienic.
