Arcing Sky Gallery
Athens • 706-255-3411 • www.arcingskygallery.com
Open by appointment only, Arcing Sky Gallery sells antiques as well as fine art, with a selection of mid-century design, early-American cut glass and more. Artists represented include local painters Tracy Jefferies and Bruce Knecht, orderly abstractionist Michael Mewborn, photographer Wendy Cooper and Deanna Wood, who works in encaustic.
AthensHasArt! Gallery at This Way Out (T-W-O)
680 W. Broad St. • 706-227-0666 • www.athenshasart.blogspot.com
An unexpected setting on Broad Street above Ben’s Bikes, serves as the showcase for AthensHasArt! Gallery, an artists’ community fostering not only visual arts, but also performing, culinary, musical and other arts. Regular events feature food as well as art, and the coming year promises a group show (billed as annual) and photography by Patrick Denker and Stacey-Marie Piotrowski. Open 6–8 p.m., the 10th through 20th of each month, and by appointment.
Athens Institute for Contemporary Art (ATHICA)
160 Tracy St., Unit 4 • 706-208-1613 • www.athica.org
Open for nearly 10 years, ATHICA isn’t the new kid in town anymore, and its exhibitions have grown increasingly complex and interesting through the years. Neither a museum nor a gallery, it organizes several exhibitions over the course of a year, usually group shows focused on a theme such as the Iraq war, the relationship between craft and romance, and participatory art. ATHICA “Emerges†serves as an annual showcase for artists in the region, and each exhibition brings with it a large range of events, from lectures to performances and more. During exhibitions, ATHICA is open from 6–9 p.m. on Thursday; 1–6 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday; and by appointment. The excellent website details events and exhibitions.
Blue Tin Studio
393 N. Finley St., Studio C • 706-248-6899 • www.bluetinstudio.com
Founded as a venue for art classes, Blue Tin Art Studio recently transformed itself into an artists’ collective, in which eight different artists sell their work themselves in a cozy, informal gallery. Artists include Sarah Seabolt, who works in encaustic, painter Andy Cherewick, ceramicist Maria Dondero and fabric artist Hollis McFadden, whose designs are hand blockprinted on linen. Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.–4 p.m. and by appointment.
Brick House Studio
1892 Athens Rd., Crawford • 706-540-4022 • www.lamarwood.com
Located inside the Langston-Daniel House, a circa 1820 restored plantation house on Highway 78, 12 miles east of Athens and surrounded by beautiful gardens, Lamar Wood’s Brick House Studio serves as both a gallery and an events venue. Sculpture by Wood, Dana Downs, Jessica Elliot, Ben Barks, Doug Makemson and more can be viewed on the grounds, and Wood and guest artists teach classes in painting, drawing and other media. Open by appointment only or during special events. Visit the Brick House Studio website for current exhibitions.
Chappelle Gallery
25 South Main St., Watkinsville • 706-310-0985 • www.chappellegallery.net
Opened in 2001 by its eponymous owners, Chappelle Gallery in downtown Watkinsville can be found inside the historic Haygood House, which was built in 1827. Featuring the work of more than 125 local and national artists in media from paintings and drawings to metal, fiber, wood and jewelry, the gallery is a wonderful place to shop for gifts and hosts open houses throughout the year. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Farmington Depot Gallery
1001 Salem Rd., Farmington • 706-769-5379 • www.farmingtondepotgallery.org
Located in the historic Farmington train depot, this dozen-plus-member artists’ collective gallery houses the works of artists like Peter Loose, John Cleaveland, Matt Alston, Cheri Wranowski and many more. The collection features paintings, folk art, sculpture, ceramics, glassware, furniture, etc. There are also seasonal artists’ markets at which creative types peddle their wares alongside food vendors. Its website and active Facebook page are the best way to keep up with its doings. Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., plus by appointment.
The Gallery @ Good Dirt
510 North Thomas St. • 706-355-3161 • www.gooddirt.net
Despite the intricacy and beauty of the pottery made from Georgia clay offered at this downtown gallery, Good Dirt is all about encouraging you to give it a try yourself. Rotating exhibitions and an online catalogue display works by artists including founder Rob Sutherland, Ron Meyers, Ted Saupe and many, many more. Visit Good Dirt’s website for a schedule of classes, openings and an array of summer camps. Open daily 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and by appointment.
Georgia Museum of Art
90 Carlton St. • 706-542-4662 • www.georgiamuseum.org
The state’s official art museum, the Georgia Museum of Art (GMOA) houses an extensive permanent collection of more than 8,000 works. Located on UGA’s East Campus in a newly renovated and expanded building that now includes spacious galleries to display that collection (American paintings, works on paper, Southern decorative arts, Renaissance paintings and more) as well as a contemplation-promoting sculpture garden, it emphasizes education through an array of events including films, lectures, Family Days and workshops. Admission is always free and open to the public. Ike & Jane serves coffee, snacks, and sandwiches Tuesday through Saturday. Visit the museum’s website for more information on its hours or to browse the online version of the Museum Shop.
Lyndon House Arts Center
293 Hoyt St. • 706-613-3623 • www.athensleisureservices.com/lyndon.shtml
Operated by Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services, the Lyndon House Arts Center (LHAC) incorporates gallery space, classes, a gift shop and the Ware-Lyndon House museum in a building that combines old and new and has a great view of the surrounding area. The Annual Juried Exhibition, now going on 37 years, is a great attraction to the community, and other exhibitions change out roughly quarterly. Art classes and workshops cater to adults, seniors and kids in media including printmaking, quilting, jewelry/metalsmithing and more. The Ware-Lyndon House (ca. 1850) features rooms recreated to look as they did in the late 1800s. The extensive gallery shop features arts and crafts by more than 70 local and regional artists. OpenTuesday and Thursday, 12–9 p.m., and Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Mercury Art Works at Hotel Indigo
500 College Ave. • 706-338-0548 • www.mercuryartworks.com
This chic, industrial space inside the eco-friendly boutique Hotel Indigo on the edge of downtown shows work by local, national and international artists, rotating exhibitions frequently. Some permanent works are on display throughout the hotel, including locally designed concert posters framed in reclaimed wood. Notable names the gallery represents include Chris Bilheimer, Michael Stipe, Rinne Allen, Art Rosenbaum, co-founder Chris Wyrick and Mary Engel.
The Myers and Bertelsmann Galleries at Athens Academy
1281 Spartan Ln. • 706-549-9225 • www.athensacademy.org
These two galleries on the campus of Athens Academy host five or six exhibitions each during the school year, featuring work mostly by local artists and students. Last year’s schedule included work by Andy Cherewick, Lamar Wood, Doug Makemson and Scott Bellville, as well as exhibitions devoted to comics art and landscape paintings. The galleries are open during the academic year during school hours.
Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation (OCAF)
34 School St., Watkinsville • 706-769-4565 • www.myocaf.com
Founded in 1994, the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation (OCAF) in Watkinsville promotes the performing, visual and literary arts, organizing concerts, art exhibitions (10 to 12 yearly) and theatrical performances. Annual events include Southworks, a juried art exhibit and artists’ market; “Perspectives,†the Georgia pottery invitational; a holiday market; and the members’ exhibition. Exhibits scheduled for this year include “Georgia Small Works,†which focuses on small-scale works of art in many media by Georgia artists. OCAF also offers classes in pastel paintings, watercolors, jewelry design, textiles and more for all ages. See website for a complete schedule of events. Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Trace Gallery
160 Tracy St., Suite 2A • 706-424-1016 • www.tracegalleryathens.com
Trace Gallery occupies a space in the Chase Street Warehouses and also serves as an artists’ collective for four artists who work in the adjacent ceramics studios. The featured exhibition changes out every couple of months and, while pottery from the collective is always available, the shows so far have been eclectic in their emphases. The next calendar year promises exhibitions of work by Laura Foster, Jiha Moon and Andy Moon Wilson. By appointment only and for special events, September–May.
UGA Lamar Dodd School of Art Galleries
270 River Rd. • 706-542-1511 • www.art.uga.edu
The new building of UGA’s Lamar Dodd School of Art matches the school’s lofty rankings for graduate fine-arts programs, and gallery spaces are scattered throughout the large, modern-industrial space. BFA and MFA students’ exhibitions are a major focus, but faculty and visiting artists (e.g., Nick Cave, David Sandlin) frequently show their work as well. The main galleries are on the first and third floors, but other spaces devoted to art can be found throughout the building, as well as off-site, where ceramics, sculpture, interior design and jewelry and metals are housed. Visiting artists and scholars give frequent lectures throughout the school year, and ICE (Ideas for Creative Exploration) pursues interdisciplinary projects such as the annual AUX Experimental Arts Festival (see Annual Athens Events). The website lists openings and events. Galleries open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., except for university holidays.
Visionary Growth Gallery
2400 Booger Hill Rd., Danielsville • 706-363-0393 • www.visgrow.com
To get to Visionary Growth Gallery, you have to travel down two-lane roads, constantly second-guessing that you haven’t missed what you’re looking for. When you find it, though, there’s nothing else like this venue that focuses its efforts mostly on outsider art, works by self-taught artists and art brut. VGG also offers services to visionary artists with disabilities, such as artistic instruction and help with promotion, and incorporates a working farm that raises free-range pigs. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. and by appointment. See website for schedule of exhibitions, openings and events.
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