By Gerri Young
On Friday, April 10, and Saturday, April 11, from noon to 4 p.m., the Blacksburg Regional Art Association (BRAA) will open The Art Space@The Artful Lawyer at 318 N. Main St. in downtown Blacksburg.
BRAA has been affiliated with The Artful Lawyer for a number of years and, like many businesses and associations, has experienced challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. The art receptions formerly held in this space by the owner, James Creekmore, have been cancelled for months and the building has been closed to the public.
But now a portion of this stately old house will offer a new weekend attraction. Six spaces in the house will be rented by BRAA member artists on a quarterly basis beginning in April and continuing through June.
Sue Hossack and Mary Ratliff are co-managers of this new BRAA venture. Hossack describes the purpose of the shop as a way for BRAA artists to get their work seen by the public and for residents of Montgomery County and beyond to have a chance to buy directly from artists.
“It will be a gallery of artists run by artists,” said Hossack.
Located in the left wing of The Artful Place, the BRAA shop will offer patrons the chance not only to buy local art, but to meet and talk with the artists as well with several artists present each weekend. Artists will be in residence in the space for a period of three months at a time, weekends only. Each quarter, new artists will be featured.
For this first quarter, the artists will be Mary Ratliff, Sue Hossack, Diamond Gabriel, and Trenia Bell. They will offer a variety of works from original paintings in various media to notecards, photography and jewelry. Visitors may have the chance to watch art demonstrations.
The second quarter, July through September, will feature Ruth Lefko, Aileen Fletcher, Joy Rosenthal, Susan Lockwood, Lois Stephens, and Joe Scarpaci with paintings, photography and handmade oak coffee tables.
Customers will be able to purchase with credit card, cash, or check.
The organizing committee for this new venture includes artists Sue Hossack, Linda Correll, Ava Howard and Charlotte Chan.
Normal hours will be Saturdays and Sundays noon to 4 p.m.
“If things go well,” said BRAA President Charlotte Chan, “we will consider opening more hours. Look for the sandwich board in front of the building as a reminder that we are open and are ready to welcome art lovers and, hopefully, buyers. We invite the residents of this area to put our shop on their list of places to bring their out-of-town visitors in to see more of what Blacksburg is all about.”
All social distancing requirements will be met, so please wear masks, the “artsy-er the better.” A maximum of 10 visitors at a time will be allowed in the space.
Go to www.blacksburgart.org for more information.