NEW AT MIDDLE ST. GALLERY OCT. 31 - DEC. 31: GROUP SHOW!

NEW AT MIDDLE ST. GALLERY: OCTOBER 31 - DECEMBER 31:
GROUP SHOW

All 14 Middle St. Gallery members exhibit groups of new artwork -
up to five pieces per member. Don't miss this great new show! Featured image below: "Threads", a new photograph in the group show, by member artist Jo Levine.

Note: there will be no opening reception for this show.

Gallery Hours: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 11 AM - 6 PM

The Middle St. Gallery is Located at:
River District Arts / Rappahannock Central
3 River Lane, Suite 1-B
Sperryville, VA, 22740    540.987.9330

PRESS RELEASE: JO LEVINE / SUSAN RAINES / GARY ANTHES at the Middle St. Gallery

Views of Iceland, Japan and the U.S. join forces at local gallery

From Sept. 19 through Oct. 26, the Middle Street Gallery in Sperryville will offer an all-photography exhibition of works by Jo Levine, Susan Raines and Gary Anthes. The artists will present recent color images from Iceland, Key West, Fla. and Japan.    

Jo Levine says of a recent trip to Iceland, “Although the weather was less than ideal for sightseeing, the clouds and mist added drama to my photos. Iceland has a wild and amazingly varied beauty that's captured in images of rugged glaciers, icebergs, foggy mountains, and delicate waterfalls.” Several of her photos depart from her customary style by including people: “Without people in them, viewers would have no idea of how large the glaciers and icebergs really are,” she says.

Susan Raines's photographs of Key West, the southern-most point in the U.S., show the unique and colorful aspects of one of America's iconic places. Photographs of street scenes, bars, homes, ocean views and, of course, a sunset create a portrait of this unique and charming island.

Gary Anthes will exhibit photographs from his travels in "Old Japan" -- the cities of Kyoto, Nara, Kanazawa and Takayama. His color images portray the mystery and drama of Zen and Buddhist temples, the beauty of gardens hundreds of years old, and the ancient crafts that have made Japanese artisans famous over the centuries. He will also offer for sale a new book, “Spirit of Old Japan,” 100 pages of photographs from the country.

The gallery will hold an opening reception for the artists and the public from 3pm until 5pm on Sat., Sept. 20.

Located at Rappahannock Central at 3 River lane in Sperryville, the gallery is open Fri., Sat. and Sun. from 11 AM until 6 PM. For more information, please visit http://www.middlestreetgallery.org/ or call 540-987-9330.

Coming in September, a new show: "Going Places: Photographs by Gary Anthes, Jo Levine, and Susan Raines" at the Middle St. Gallery. Sept. 19-Oct. 26, 2014, Reception Sept. 20th, 3-5 PM. Don't miss this exciting show of new photographs by these MSG members whose travels have taken them to very different corners of the world: Japan, Iceland, Key West!

Gary Anthes exhibits photographs of temples, gardens, and Japanese artistan crafts, all from his travels in "Old Japan"- the cities of Kyoto, Nara, Kanazawa, and Takayama. 

Jo Levine exhibits photos from a recent trip to Iceland, capturing its rugged glaciers, icebergs, fog-shrouded mountains, and delicate waterfalls.

Susan Raines exhibits photos of street scenes, bars, homes, and ocean views, all from Key West, Florida, one of America's most iconic places.

PRESS RELEASE for Thomas Spande: Drawings of Pachyderms / and 4 Mini-Shows

Animals and gardens coming to local art gallery

From Aug. 8 through Sept. 14, the Middle Street Gallery in Sperryville will offer an extensive collection of drawings by member artist Thomas Spande as well as smaller collections of works by four other members of the artists cooperative.  

Spande will exhibit more than 20 new drawings of Pachyderms – “a virtual herd of elephants, a crash of rhinos, and a pod of hippos” – all done in pencil on heavy paper. The energetic drawings tell of the artist's interest in cross-hatching and lyric line quality while exploring the inner life of these incredible and endangered animals.

Carl Zitzmann, a new gallery member, will exhibit digital photographs ranging from traditional "found" subjects to studio compositions and challenging abstract visions. Meanwhile, Leslie Hilton, another new member, will offer paintings “of my travels, from Turkey to Canada and back.”

Ann Currie will show “the essential contours of simple garden plants,” inspired by the clean, incisive line drawings of Ellsworth Kelly. The drawings are created in ink on an acrylic painted wood panel surface that is finished with multiple layers of encaustic, pigments mixed with hot wax that are burned in as an inlay.

Finally, Nancy Brittle will offer the public her vision of Summer in the Garden. Says Brittle, “I have been vacationing in my garden and in the fields around our small town, looking at the familiar lay of the land, noting the changes in color and the summer advances, and enjoying the quiet moment.”

(the art from left to right: Leslie Hilton, Ann Currie, Nancy Brittle, Carl Zitzmann)

The gallery will hold an opening reception for the artists and the public from 3pm until 5pm on Sat., August 9.

Located at Rappahannock Central at 3 River lane in Sperryville, the gallery is open Fri., Sat. and Sun. from 11 AM until 6 PM. For more information, please visit http://www.middlestreetgallery.org/ or call 540-987-9330.

Submitted by Gary Anthes

NEW SHOW: THOMAS SPANDE: DRAWINGS OF PACHYDERMS at the MIDDLE ST. GALLERY

This show of more than 20 drawings of elephants, rhinos, and hippos will run from August 8th - Sept 14th. The opening reception is Saturday, August 9th, 3-5 PM. All the drawings are pencil on paper ("Bristol board") and are in archival frames. Each drawing demonstrates the artist's interest in nuanced mark-making and cross-hatching, and each is an exploration of the inner life of these incredible and endangered animals.

 Plus 4 mini shows by Middle St. Gallery artists Leslie Hilton, Ann Currie, Nancy Brittle, and Carl Zitzmann, as seen from left to right in the image below:

NEW SHOW AT MIDDLE ST. GALLERY

Photos, Fiber and Stone - work by Paula Endo, Ann Currie and Robert Bouquet

June 27 - Aug 3 , 2014

Opening: July 12 3-5pm.

MIDDLE ST. GALLERY - 3 River Lane, Suite 1B, Sperryville, Virginia 22740

Paula Endo (image on left) exhibits photos documenting two experiences of living in the Middle East: living in the Zamalek district of Cairo, Egypt in the early 90’s, and more recently, a two-week tour to Israel/Palestine with the Interfaith Peace Builder’s group. The photos explore feeling, tone, and mood, as the photographer contrasts the physical, personal, and emotional realities of these two experiences in the Middle East.

Ann Currie (center image) uses a pulp of highly beaten flax fibers to create three dimensional forms. Her new installation includes these forms as well as a series of paintings inspired by them.  Oil paint, gouache, encaustic, found papers, and handmade paper are employed to complete her expressions.  

Robert Bouquet (image on right) exhibits new stone sculpture. These works are all sculpted from soapstone, which is quarried right here in Virginia. 

THE CLAUDIA MITCHELL ARTS FUND GRANT: FAQ/ABOUT

The Claudia Mitchell Arts Fund grant to the Middle Street Gallery

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

On May 1, 2014, the Middle Street Gallery received a $2,000 grant from the Claudia Mitchell Arts Fund.

Q: Who is Claudia Mitchell, and what is the Mitchell Arts Fund?

A: The late Claudia Mitchell was an avid supporter of the arts, including the Middle Street Gallery. When she died, she left behind substantial funds “to enliven and sustain the arts in Rappahannock County with the goal of enhancing the quality of our community life.” The fund is administered by the Rappahannock Association for the Arts and the Community (RAAC).

Q: Who gets these funds?

A: According to the RAAC, “We award grants in the visual arts, music, literature, theater, dance, film/video, and projects combining multiple media. We offer grants to emerging and established artists of all ages, arts organizations, art programs within community-based organizations, collaborative projects, and especially to programs with a community focus.” Grants go to fund specific named projects, not for general support of operations.

Q: What projects did the gallery propose?

A: Two projects aimed at arts students at Rappahannock High School. One is a workshop program and the other an in-gallery docent program.

Q: How would the docent program work?

A: That hasn't been precisely determined yet, but the idea is that the school would bus some number of students to the gallery, probably but not necessarily during school hours, for a tour and informal lecture by a gallery member. The docent would guide the students around the gallery making brief statements about the styles, methods and strengths of the various works at the gallery that month. The docent might then select some small number of the works (maybe 1-4) do do an in-depth critique and explication. 

Q: How would the workshops work?

A: They would most likely occur at the school during school hours. Alternatively, they could happen at the gallery or in an artist's studio. Memebers Jo Levine and Gary Anthes will do one at the school in photography this fall. We also have members who tentatively have agreed to do one on glass work/mosaics and one on Japanese paper making. 

A: When will these things take place?

Q: During the 2014-2015 school year, from Sept. through May.

Fields, Gardens, Elephants and Abstracts at the Middle St. Gallery

(Press Release)

From May 16 to June 22 the Middle Street Gallery in Sperryville will show scenes of the Virginia outdoors by member artist Kathleen Willingham. Her exhibition, “Land, Sky, Water,” captures “the enjoyment and sense of peacefulness that I feel while on-site or remembering the place at a later time,” she says. Willingham, a former art teacher who has lived in Fauquier County all her life, offers paintings of Virginia places from the mountains to the Chesapeake Bay.  Many of her works are “plein air,” or painted on location.

“I enjoy painting near water, fields, gardens, and wooded areas within sight of mountains when possible,” she says. “I use the medium of soft pastel, and I enjoy the richness and purity of color that come from the strong pigments. Manipulation of the pastel to creates textures and visual expressions that happen with this medium is just fun.”

Five members of the non-profit artists cooperative will show smaller collections. Nancy Brittle presents a suite of paintings from her gardens. “As the farmer's daughter, digging in the earth is part of me,” she says. “After the work is done, I love to sit in the garden in all seasons to read, reflect, and paint.” One of her paintings shows her two 10-year-old cousins helping her in the squash patch.

Rosabel Goodman-Everard's three pieces are based on contour drawings of her left hand, “with the hand representing the mind.” Thomas Spande will show four framed pencil drawings of zoo elephants, rendered with confident and energetic lines. Photograher Jo Levine will show moody architectural scenes and semi-abstract images, while Gary Anthes will show a suite of four photographs of the identical farm scene in Rappahannock County, each in different seasons and types of weather.

The gallery will hold an opening reception for the artists and the public from 3pm until 5pm on Sat., May 17.

Located at Rappahannock Central at 3 River lane in Sperryville, the gallery is open Fri., Sat. and Sun. from 10 AM until 5 PM. For more information, please visit http://www.middlestreetgallery.org/ or call 540-987-9330.

Submitted by Gary Anthes