Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
VOLUNTEERS CHAR Brickner and Janie Williams organize pieces in preparation for the second annual Foot in the Door 12-by-12-inch Art Sale at the Downtown Art Place in Ironwood July 1-19.
IRONWOOD - Saturday marks the final day to turn in projects for the second annual Foot in the Door12-by-12-inch Art Sale at the Downtown Art Place.
For months, artists have picked up square, wooden boards and decorated them any way they chose. Some boards are on display at DAP, and feature a variety of mediums and subjects.
According to Char Brickner, artists can still pick up a board if they choose, as long as it's done by Saturday. There is a deposit fee for each board that will be returned when the piece is brought back to DAP.
"Last year, we had lots of different pieces, some with copper, glass, mosaics, found art, stones, photography, jewelry," Brickner said. "As long as it can fit on the board, and is not higher than 5 inches, we'll take it."
After Saturday, all of the boards will be auctioned from July 1-19, with all proceeds benefitting DAP.
Brickner said the boards allow for "true artistic creativity," because there are not strict guidelines on what artists can do with them.
"All artists struggle with confidence," Brickner said. "We all struggle with worrying if things are good enough. This builds confidence."
Janie Williams said the project allows younger people to have a creative outlet.
"In communities where art has taken a real hit in public schools, it is an opportunity for young people to come forward and express their creativity," Williams said.
Pieces come from all over, not just Gogebic and Iron counties.
"We have artists that are related to the area or have a parent, grandparent, brother, sister, niece, nephew, friend, neighbor, whatever, and the word does get spread," Brickner said. "I was in Milwaukee last week, and picked up a piece at my favorite custard stand, so there are some perks to that. We also found people in our own community who walked in, found out we were doing this, and wanted to be an artist, too."
All pieces will be on display beginning July 1 and people can place bids on pieces they would like to buy. There is a minimum bid per piece, and some pieces may also have the "buy-it-now" option, according to Brickner.
There will be an artist meet-and-greet July 19 at 5 p.m., followed by final bids being submitted at 6 p.m.
"You don't want to miss it," Williams said.
For more information on the event, or to learn more about DAP, call 906-285-7300, visit downtownartplace.com or visit facebook.com/DowntownArtPlace.
