05/08/2026
Last night, we hosted the opening reception for our spring community show, “In Plain Sight”. I knew this show was going to be special. The majority of our artists were first time contributors and I had never met many of them before last night. And you know what that means? It means our arts community is growing and Jacksonians are being exposed to art that moves and challenges us.
I think the best part of last night was watching connections happen. Artists meeting other artists, asking about process and technique and exchanging phone numbers and taking photos together- the stuff I dreamed about when the gallery was only an idea. Art is a powerful vehicle for community and I get to watch it happen in real time.
To every artist who has work hanging in the gallery- thank you. Truly. It’s a vulnerable thing to create art that’s deeply personal and then release that art. It becomes what the observer needs it to be and that’s a gift. To every neighbor who showed up to witness the work- thank you, really. Art holds so much of our collective story and has the power to bind us and break us in all the best ways. Thank you for bearing witness. Art really, really is for everyone.