Press release
3rd Annual Small Works Show
"Public Attention to the Arts"
Stacey Hurlin is looking at a broader vision than running an art exhibit for a couple months. She sees the 3rd Annual Small Works Show at the innovative Emerald Gallery on the west side of the square as yet a new way to get peoples attention. "An art scene is emerging here in Fairfield and it is happening now", she says. That is the message she repeatedly sends to surrounding communities.
The Small Works Show is currently bringing attention to Fairfield-big time. Two weeks into the two-month exhibit the gallery is seeing numbers triple to last year's attendance. Deborah Roberts, gallery assistant, notes "We are seeing many from out-of-town as the word gets out. Visiting the Emerald Gallery offering of 200 original works of art by almost 100 artists is a first rate sensory experience." And as was the case with last year's exhibit, many are coming back again and again for that irresistible sensory "fix".
This year, organizers initiated the Corporate Purchase and Recognition Awards Program. 18 pieces of work were sold during a pre-showing of the exhibit to corporations who had committed a dollar amount prior to the exhibit enabling them to participate in the new Awards Program. They got first selection. $4,225 dollars in commitment speaks well of the community's commitment to the arts.
To date, 20% of the show has sold but new works are still arriving weekly so the gallery staff of volunteers just keep hanging and selling work. In one case, a painting sold before the staff could even get it hung on the wall.
What is this phenomenon? Why is this show getting such a good response? Says Denise Gallagher, one of the local exhibiting artists, "It is a first-rate exhibit: the presentation, the quality of the work, the range of artists and mediums, the themes. This is an exhibit not to be missed." Gallagher's charcoal drawing sold as a Corporate Purchase in the pre-showing.
"This exhibit is soothing and inspiring to visit. We have brought in seating just so people can sit, settle in, soak up to work, fill the visual sensory tank. And it works. People come. They sit. They stay. They may even buy.
It's easy to purchase art in an exhibit like this. The work is small so more likely to accommodate many wall spaces. The work is predominantly priced between $60- $600. The pieces are easy to give or ship as gifts."
"Unless someone is a consistent and avid art patron, seeing monthly ads for numerous southeast Iowa gallery exhibitions gets blasé. Fairfield is challenged with this situation as much as other towns", says Stacey Hurlin, Director of ArtLife Society and one of Fairfield's most vocal arts promoters. "I have seen absolutely fabulous exhibits come and go and the public miss out on great opportunities for not only viewing, but more so purchasing really good art and at prices at a fraction of what they would be in a larger marketplace."
Fairfield boasts 11 art galleries. For a town of 10,000, that is saying something about the creative interest of the town. Emerald Gallery will be open during Fairfield's popular 1st Fridays Art Walk December 3rd. The art walk hours are 6:30-9:30. Because of the expansive size of the Small Works Show, Emerald Gallery will be open from 6pm during the art walk.
The Small Works Show and Emerald Gallery are presented by ArtLife Society.