By JEN BOUTIN

BCPL

During the month of May, the Boyle County Public Library will host the 2019 Gathering Artists Spring Show in the Mahan Gallery and in the library lobby. This eclectic exhibit features 29 artists from Boyle County and the greater Central Kentucky region.

A variety of different art mediums are represented, as the group of artists include weavers, painters, photographers, jewelry makers, wood carvers, quilters, collage artists, sculptors, fiber artists, ceramicists and glass artists.

In addition to the show in the gallery, a number of pieces will be on display in cases located throughout the library. An opening reception for the exhibit will be held at the library 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 9, and is open to the public.

The idea for Gathering Artists was hatched in 1995 as local artists Madelyn Worley, Wilma Brown and Fox Hutt browsed a garage sale. They talked about how great it would be to meet with other artists just to “talk art”— a gathering where one could find encouragement and inspiration.  Such a group should be open to anyone who was interested in visual arts and fine crafts, and be free of charge.  They also wanted to keep meetings simple by having an open discussion instead of a traditional club structure.

After combining lists of personal friends who were artists and fine craftspeople throughout the region, they set the date for the first meeting. As interest grew the group developed a mission statement, determined a direction, decided on a name and a logo, and developed exhibit cards and guidelines. 

Regular exhibits, artist showcases and artistic demonstrations continue to be held throughout Boyle County and beyond. Gathering Artists produces a monthly newsletter, visits local art studios, maintains a scrapbook of achievements and a social media presence, and works in concert with other local artistic organizations.

The Gathering Artists meet every second Saturday at the Community Arts Center in Danville at 10:15 a.m. to learn, encourage, inspire, promote and celebrate creativity. The meetings are informal, relatively brief and always positive. New artists are welcome.

The meetings are used to share latest artistic efforts, discuss opportunities to exhibit artwork and learn from each other. The artists talk about techniques and products that they find useful, and occasionally lead demonstration sessions after the meetings highlighting their specialty.

The Mahan Gallery features the artwork of area artists. Artists interested in displaying their work in the gallery may contact Mary Girard at mgirard@boylepublib.org. The gallery is located just off the main floor of the library in the Mahan House and is open to the public during regular Library hours.