Columbia Bursts With Artrage
Despite occasional drizzle, Columbia’s first Artrageous Friday gallery crawl proved a boon for downtown businesses. Last Friday night, bustling crowds of art lovers packed more than a dozen venues in The District at near full capacity for events ranging from poetry readings, body painting and artist studio tours to collage demonstrations, a paint-a-thon and fifth-grade museum docents’ presentations. David Spear unveiled his Wabash Station Percent for Art project. STAND Mizzou Genocide Intervention Network held an exhibit to raise awareness about humanitarian issues. Artists such as Gay Bumgarner, Barbara Overby and Avery Danziger showed their stuff.
Organized by Jennifer Perlow of PS:Gallery, Chris Teeter of Orr Street Studios and Diana Moxon of the Columbia Art League, the quarterly Artrageous Fridays create a partnership between artists and businesses—bringing the arts not only to the places we usually find them (Poppy, Bluestem, Cherry Street Artisan) but also to other independent retail shops and eateries (A La Campagne, Makes Scents, Village Wine & Cheese).
One business, Spare Parts Gallery Art and Antiques, took the opportunity to hold its grand opening that night. Located in Lisa Bartlett’s former Vintage Shop space on 9th Street, the new gallery, owned and managed by Bartlett and fellow artists Stephanie Foley, Doug Freeman and Jessie Lawson, specializes in vintage furniture, local art and independent crafts.
If you missed the first installment of the evening festival, fret not. Artrageous Fridays return 6-9 p.m. July 27 and Oct. 28.