A brief history of the Old Fort Lowell Artist Group:
Updated to reflect the new exhibition dates of April 1 & 2, 2016.
Save the date! The First Annual Old Fort Lowell Artists Group exhibition is history but next event is already on the calendar! The participating artists met after the show to review the logistics and whether or not to continue. The unanimous vote – go forward with the 2nd OFLAG exhibition year after next. The dates have already been reserved at the San Pedro Chapel for April 1 and 2, 2016.
All agreed this year’s inaugural event was a resounding success! Credit for that goes to the friends, family, neighborhood residents and art patrons who showed their support by crowding the Chapel during Friday night’s reception. The event had a lively vibe as artists and patrons had a chance to intermingle. In just 2 1/2 hours more than $6,000 in sales were racked up. The artists were pleased to have a new outlet for their work, and viewers were introduced to the multifaceted artistic talent resident in the mile square Fort Lowell Historic District.
Artwork displayed in the gallery this year included oil, acrylic and mixed media paintings, intaglio prints, darkroom and digital photography, sculpture, weaving, quilting, and hand-crafted jewelry.
A lot of hard work went into the two-day show. Michael Bell was the driving force behind the organization. He put the concept out there to attract interested participants, and when the idea took hold he invested a great deal of sweat equity into bringing it to fruition. Every artist represented had a role to play in the preparations, from renting the facility, enlisting the support of the neighborhood, creating a website, generating publicity, laying out the venue, providing music and refreshments, and of course the hard physical work of hanging the artwork.
Volunteers from the Neighborhood Association were invaluable assets as they handled the sales and accounting, freeing the artists to interact with the viewing public. The Arizona Daily Star ran a wonderful illustrated feature story about the Neighborhood and its artistic roots which served to attract an even larger crowd.
Old Fort Lowell Neighborhood provides ‘sense of place’
Even the weather cooperated as the threat of Hurricane Odile dwindled and the reception was blessed by a perfect Tucson evening.
A round of applause to everyone who contributed to the successful debut of the show!
Click on any image below to enter a full screen slideshow. Thanks to Marianne Cracovaner and Linda McKittrick for providing the photographs.
OLD FORT LOWELL ARTISTS SHOW
San Pedro Chapel, 5320 E. Fort Lowell Road (map)
Open to the public. Admission free.
The Fort Lowell Historic District in Tucson has a long and rich tradition of attracting artists to the area. Seduced by its laid back charm and rural ambience, creative individuals have populated the neighborhood for decades.
In keeping with that tradition, a core group of contemporary resident artists are banding together to form the Old Fort Lowell Artists Group. The group is now organizing its first event – a collective art exhibition to be presented in the Fort Lowell neighborhood’s historic adobe San Pedro Chapel on Friday and Saturday, September 19 and 20.
Twelve artist members of the OFLAG will be displaying an eclectic collection of work that includes paintings, sculpture, photographic and digital art, weavings, quilts, and jewelry. It is quite astonishing to see so much artistic talent clustered in such a small geographical area.
An artists’ reception will be held in conjunction with the show’s opening on Friday evening from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. Wine and nibbles will be provided by the Old Fort Lowell Neighborhood Association and live music performed by Matt Mitchell, a renowned local jazz and classical guitarist. A lively crowd of host artists and artisans will be present and delighted to share and discuss their work. All artwork will be offered for sale
The event is free and open to the public. Please join in to give this fledgling organization a rousing welcome to the neighborhood.