Page 26 - The NOISE December 2015

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ARTSBRIEFS:
HOME SWEET HOME
Past Santa’s Village and nestled in between Laser Tag and Charlotte Russe, is the new digs of The Artists’ Coalition of Flagstaff. ACF tem- porarily moved into the space earlier this year to display their annual Open Studios Prelude. The new space was well received and the suggestion
“This should be ongoing,” was heard and has be- come reality.
The Flagstaff Mall made ACF an offer they couldn’t refuse, and they made the permanent move into the space last month, celebrating with a reception on November 21.
The Arts Connection is the biggest gallery
space ACF has had so far. In the last five years
we have seen them move from the gallery
space down the long hall of the Nackard Build-
ing, down the street and around the corner next
door to where West of the Moon used to be, to
Tam’s Pendleton Boutique, and finally to their
new home. Executive Director Mike Frankel
tells me he feels now ACF finally has a headquar-
ters. Many ACF meetings will take place there,
and there are plans to use the space for film festivals, musical events and other community art events.
Mr. Frankel gives me a tour of the gallery, showing me displays by the 25 ACF artists who have their work in the Arts Connection. The beautiful quilts of Tammy Kelly are displayed among the transparent watercolors of Catherine Sickafoose, and Josh Robinson’s paintings catch my eye when I see an underwater scene with jellyfish swimming in clear blue water.
One space, dedicated to displaying the new artwork of Hozhoni artists, has a large-scale painting of peacocks in a colorful background of feathers by Robert Zappanti. ACF works with the Hozhoni Foundation to help adults with developmental disabilities get their artwork seen by the public.
The only photographer in the entire gallery space is ACF Treasurer Phil Goldblatt. This September Mr. Goldblatt took a trip to the Bisti Wilderness in New Mexico. On display are photographs from this trip, one titled Chief Hoodoo, an image of a hoodoo that seems to tower over the land. The photographer is self-taught, and first fell in love with the Flagstaff area on assignment with Arizona Highways. Currently on display alongside the photos of Bisti are photos from Death Valley, Big Sur and some local images as well.
On the day I meet with Mr. Frankel, Mr. Goldblatt is working his volunteer shift at the gallery. Now that the gallery is in its new space, it operates like an artist co-op. All ACF artists who want to display their work in the gallery space rent a wall or table display, and volunteer two shifts at the gallery each month.
Even though the assemblage art of Carrie Hartley is displayed on a wall far back in the gallery, it is one of the first displays I notice when I walk in. Ms. Hartley’s work scintillates as the lights hit the mirrors, jewels, metal, buttons and glass that cover the surface of each piece. Some of her pieces are decorated mirrors, crosses or guitars — while a few are shrines to Saints.
The room that was once used for storage in the space’s previous life as a boutique is now destined to become a space for workshops and demonstrations. The sink and linoleum floor make it a perfect location for creativity. Even the former dressing rooms will be utilized. The smaller ones may be transformed into info-booths, with reels about Flagstaff’s history playing, and the bigger ones (the size of a small office) may be rented out as studio spaces in the future for interested artists.
The potential for the new space is boundless and Mr. Frankel invites the community to contact ACF with ideas for poetry nights, film showings, art happenings and music events. ACF is always excepting applications for new mem- bers who want to be a part of this educational artists’ community. Flagstaff-arts.org
CELEBRATING ONE YEAR
That New Gallery is celebrating their first anniversary this December. The idea for opening a new gallery first be- gan after the Gateway Mall in Prescott sought out groups of local art organizations to see
if they would be inter- ested in collaborating to open a gallery. When none of the groups took up the offer, different artists from the groups decided to open an art- ist co-op.
Eight owners and six additional members display their work at
That New Gallery. “The artists are all local Prescott area artists who help run That New Gallery,” Victoria Page, a co-owner tells me. “The artists are from all walks of life and the majority of them are retired from their previous lives.”
This December That New Gallery will be featuring the art- work of Melanie Banayat Friday, December 4 5-8PM, when they will also be celebrating the gallery’s anniversary.
Ms. Banayat is a holistic health coach, artist and author. During the December 4 reception, she will be doing a book