Figure Drawing
Figure Drawing

This February, the Allied Arts Association celebrates its 75th anniversary by showcasing its longest-running program, figure drawing.

Figure drawing as we know it today has been part of traditional fine arts since the Renaissance, with some of the most famous works from Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci being of the human form.

The Allied Arts Association has facilitated the meeting of artists to practice figure drawing for over eight decades. In 1950, the results of an Allied Arts figure drawing session were shown in an exhibit at Jefferson School. The first recorded instance of a nude painting being shown at the Gallery at the Park was in 1968. 

Currently, the Allied Arts Figure Drawing Group meets twice a month in the Gallery at the Park’s education wing. The Figure Drawing Group sketches a variety of models—some clothed, some nude.

Others who have posed for figure drawing at the Gallery through the years include ballet dancers, actors from the Richland Players, and models from Columbia Basin College.

The Gallery at the Park will be showcasing figure studies by the Allied Arts Figure Drawing Group from February 3 through 25. 

Gallery Administrator
Desert Fiber Arts
Desert Fiber Arts

This January, the Gallery presents a new exhibition from Desert Fiber Arts!

Desert Fiber Arts is a nonprofit organization for fiber arts enthusiasts. It originated in 1974 for the purpose of promoting participation in and appreciation for fiber arts.

Fiber arts use textiles such as yarn or fabric to create unique arts and crafts.

In September 2014, Desert Fiber Arts opened a studio in Kennewick, where everyone is invited to come exercise their creativity. The studio provides warped looms, spinning wheels, and carders for members to use. 

Study groups also meet at the studio to explore topics such as weaving, spinning, knitting, basketry, and felting. Stop by to learn from the area’s leading fiber experts!

The Gallery exhibition will feature incredible works of art from Desert Fiber Arts members. The pieces will include tapestries, wall art, rugs, blankets, towels, baskets, scarves, shawls, jewelry, and so much more.

The exhibition will be on display from Jan. 3 through 28. The artist reception will be on Sunday, Jan. 8, from 1 to 3 p.m.

To learn more about Desert Fiber Arts, visit their website at desertfiberarts.org.

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Gallery Aglow 2022
Gallery Aglow 2022

Just in time for the holiday season, the Gallery presents Gallery Aglow! Stop by to check out unique gifts and beautiful decorations, including handmade trees and wreaths.

Then, on Friday, December 2nd and Saturday, December 3rd, join us for our annual Christmas Market! Enjoy the firepit and hot chocolate outside, and come inside for live music and free craft kits for kids.

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Get Free! Paintings and Metalworks by Elkington
Get Free! Paintings and Metalworks by Elkington

This October, the Gallery at the Park presents a new featured exhibition, “Get Free! Paintings and Metalworks by Elkington.”

Heidi Elkington is a local artist whose work can be found all across the Tri-Cities. Earlier this year, she painted a mural in the Uptown Shopping Center in Richland as part of the city’s Gallery in the Alley initiative. She has also completed murals for KIE in Kennewick and for Silver Beach Resort on Rim Rock Lake.

Elkington’s “Get Free!” exhibit showcases an array of imaginative works in different mediums. She paints in acrylics, oils, and watercolor; and on wood, canvas, metal, and buildings. 

Elkington draws inspiration from both life and death equally, and she wants to live in a way that makes her proud to die. 

“My art is an expression of love for this fleeting and profound experience,” she states.

The reception for “Get Free!” will be held on Oct. 8 from 1 to 4 pm, so stop by the Gallery and celebrate Elkington’s unique way of seeing the world. The event will feature giveaways and music from DJ Ricochet.

Elkington also encourages guests to dress in costume for the reception. The idea, she says, is to “free your mind.”

“Get Free!” will be on display at the Gallery at the Park from Sept. 27 through Nov. 5.

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Anne Greenwell Collett and Denise Hagood
Anne Greenwell Collett and Denise Hagood

This September, the Gallery at the Park presents a new 2D and 3D exhibition from Anne Greenwell Collett and Denise Hagood.

Anne Greenwell Collett is a mixed media artist who works primarily on paper. Her pieces have been described as geometric, expressionist, cartoony and patterned. She has had work shown in galleries across the country, including in Seattle, Chicago, Austin and New York City.

Collett studied painting at the University of Texas while earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She later attended the Penland School of Craft where she studied block theory and double weave techniques on the floor loom.

Collett has been greatly inspired by the beautiful quilts made by her mother and grandmother, and her interest in textiles is reflected in the patterns found in her paintings.

“For me, pattern represents visual percussion, like a drumbeat that can attract and mesmerize the visual listener,” Collett states. “In my recent drawings, I use shape and pattern to combine perspectives in a kaleidoscopic way. By veering from rational reality, I give room for the reality of the heart, mind and imagination.”

The 3D aspect of the exhibition is provided by Denise Hagood, a jewelry artist and designer who uses leather, gemstones and brass hardware to create unique pieces. The hardware she uses comes from items such as antique furniture pulls and trim, hinges, Victorian era buckles and spent bullet shell casings. 

Hagood strives for a rustic appearance in her work that differs from traditional jewelry, which she believes can sometimes be “too pretty and too precious.” She characterizes her own pieces as not pretty, but intriguingly attractive, and not precious, but uniquely valuable.

Hagood’s primary inspiration comes from a necklace made by her father in 1970. Her father used bale wire, salvaged metal, beach glass and coral to create a piece Hagood describes as “elemental, almost spiritual.”

Hagood says, “It made me realize at a young age that valuable jewelry can be made with humble materials.  It is this way of thinking that compels me to work with the vintage and antique materials I find today.”

The exhibition from Anne Greenwell Collett and Denise Hagood will be on display at the Gallery at the Park from Aug. 30 to Sept. 24. The artist reception will be on Sunday, Sept. 4, from 1 to 3 p.m.

Gallery Administrator