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Village Gallery Expands
Six Rooms of Art, Up From One
January 12, 2013

W
hen it opened in the spring of 2009, The Village Gallery displayed the work of its 20 artists in one room. As it closes in on its fourth year, the gallery has expanded to occupy all of the ground floor of its building. Visitors can now see art in six separate spaces.

Art to absorb and a place to sit to do so. The new Back Room at the Village Gallery.

One big addition is the room in the back of the building where a half dozen large portraits by artist Sally Anger are now on display. Judy Wayland, who manages the gallery, says the addition of that room makes Village Gallery “one of the few galleries that can take in large art.”

Faces on the wall in the Village Gallery’s Back Room.

Benches have been added, too. They invite visitors to take a moment – rather like a museum — so that they can sit down for a while and take in the works. Until the end of January, those looking up at the walls will find a half dozen faces staring back at them. On another wall, the eye can take in an antique display case where highly decorated handbags are on view.

One of the Village Gallery’s new rooms, the Miniature Fine Art Room — with the more diminutive sized paintings which also come at a smaller price.

While the Back Room offers space for large paintings, an adjacent room takes the opposite tack. There, in what’s called the Miniature Fine Art room, more than one hundred paintings, most under a square foot in size, are arrayed on racks on the wall. These are the works of the Village Gallery’s 20 core artists and they were assembled in that room just as the holiday season was starting.

One wall of the smaller paintings. In foreground, J.J. Jiang’s depiction of a porch and rocker.

The idea was to put works on display — and for sale — that would appeal to gallery visitors and shoppers and their wallets. Judy Wayland says that “with the economy the way it is,” she wanted to make sure art could still be given as gifts. Most of the pieces are well under $100 and Wayland says that prior to the holidays, they were selling “hand over fist.” (She estimates that gallerywide, half of the works are sold to those who live within 50 miles of Oriental.)

Another of the large format portraits in the Village Gallery’s Back Room. Beyond it is the room where long-time local sculptor Gary Gresko has his sculptures and drawings on display.

See next page for more on the expansion.

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In the recent expansion, two separate rooms were created and have been rented out to two artists — Gary Gresko is showing his sculptures, wood craft and drawings, while Kathleen E. Bailey has an array of paintings and giclee photographs for sale in her room. Interior windows, to let in light, let the visitor get a preview before entering.

Gary Gresko’s room, a permanent exhibit that will have a changing array of Gary’s work through the year.

Finally, there is yet another room, the first of the expansions for the Village Gallery. More local artists work is shown there — a range of furniture, paintings, pottery, sculpture, glass work. The work is sold on consignment.

The sunny front room at Village Gallery where several artists display their work and sell it on consignment. Here for example, are paintings and in the foreground a chair by area wood artist, Michael Brown. This was the second room of the Gallery to evolve.

The original gallery – with the work of a core 2 dozen artists — appears to be doing well, with work selling and the displays ever changing. Judy Wayland says that the gallery has been “strict” with what gets in and works to “keep it fresh.” Virtually every month brings a new guest artist. In February, the gallery is teaming up with the Pamlico County Arts Council to present a traveling exhibition of photographs of African-American musicians from North Carolina.

For decades, artists have come to Oriental. There’ve been occasional classes. Several artists see the Village Gallery expansion as a way to capitalize on that building reputation. It could, they say, “put Oriental on the map” for art.

The main room of the Village Gallery, which comprised all of the art display space in the first years. Robin Griswold-Ott, one of the gallery’s home team of artists, drew and sketched while working the front desk one afternoon this week.

While the Village Gallery expansion helps bring a still wider array of works than before, it also is using several approaches to meet the financial challenges faced by the arts. (The gallery, which is a non-profit also gets some grant funding from the NC and Pamlico Arts Council.) Judy Wayland says that one other way to help sustain the operation may be renting the space out for events, such as cocktail parties.

Visitors are welcome to come to the gallery Wednesday through Sunday 10a-5p and browse. (Allow more time than before to go through all the rooms.)

On the next few pages, a tour of the newly expanded Village Gallery.

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Miniature Fine Art Room
More of the small – in square inches — works in the newly arranged Miniature Fine Art room.
An impressionistic dinghy scene by Sue Henry, at the Village Gallery’s Miniature Fine Art Room.
Some of Marlene Miller’s works.
A sailboat by Karen Van Gamper. The paintings for sale in the Miniature section may find their way in to the small bulkhead spaces on boats.

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Gary Gresko and Kathleen E. Bailey Rooms
Fans of long-time local sculptor Gary Gresko can now see his work Wednesday thru Sunday in a room set aside just for his sculpture, paintings and other art.


Here, cheese and cutting boards on a table he made as well.

The gallery room with the works of Kathleen E. Bailey. she has paintings ……. as well as photographs on display and for sale.
…. as well as photographs on display and for sale.
Back Room Display
In the Back Room, the old cooler display case serves as a display for highly decorative handbags. (Some may remember when the same case served as a display for nautical items when the Inland Waterway Provision Company occupied the space now used by the gallery.)


In the Back Room, the old cooler display case serves as a display for highly decorative handbags by Tracey Mangrum. This glass door reflects the large format paintings of faces on the gallery walls.

Handbags on display inside of a glass case at the back of the Village Gallery’s Back Room.

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The First Expansion
A front room at Village Gallery, taking in some afternoon light. This was the first space that the Village Gallery added to its main salon. The furniture and other art on display is sold on consignment.
Looking out on the Village Gallery’s front porch from one of the doors.
Fabric art and a reflection of the room where the work of artists is on consignment.
In the inside window at the Village Gallery, an eye-catching, sunlight-catching sculpture of glass and copper. It’s among the works that the Gallery sells on consignment.
Shards of color in a copper and glass sculpture in the Hodges Street window of the Village Gallery. The artist is Michelle Blank.
Pottery on display.
Village Gallery on Hodges Street. Some of the art is right out in front, a sculpture made from re-purposed metal pieces.
The “face” of an animal sculpture in front of the Village Gallery.

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The Original Village Gallery Space
Equine works by Naomi Moes-Jenkins, the Village Gallery’s guest artist in December and January. Each year, the Gallery brings in 11 guest artists .
Elsewhere in the main salon, the “sail”-covered windows on to the harbor, and an under-the-pier scene by Sue Henry.
Robind Griswold-Ott showing her pottery, in particular the bottom where there is a turtle. (She puts such animals hidden on the part of the pottery where most people wouldn’t think to look.) Griswold-Ott, whose resume includes a stint as an artist in the US Marines, is one of the 2 dozen artists on display in the main room.
Playing off another window. A photograph of a NY landmark, the Flatiron Building, in the gallery, with an Oriental landmark, the Bean, just across the parking lot.
The Escher-esque wood sculpures – lathe elevated to fine art tool — by Manfred Rott. This one is called, Pomenade.
Shelf life at the Village Gallery.
More of the Village Gallery’s main exhibition space.

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Karen Van Gamper and one of the landscapes she has become known for. One of the Village Gallery’s core members, she works at the gallery every few weeks.
Another style, a dragon by Karen Van Gamper in the Village Gallery’s main salon.
The main room at Village Gallery where it all started about 4 years ago. Stretched across the windows, the sail-inspired canvas. Above, animals made of gourds and guitar wire.
The wooly mixed-media work of Namoi Moes-Jenkins, who is the current guest artist..

Village Gallery is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10a-5p. It is located on Hodges Street, across from the Oriental harbor, next to The Bean.

Posted Saturday January 12, 2013 by Melinda Penkava


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