The River Arts District (RAD) artists welcome visitors to Second Saturday on July 10. Most studios are now open and the RAD website, RiverArtsDistrict.com, offers an open hours page to help plan your time wisely on Second Saturday or any other times you wish to stroll among the district’s studios, galleries and restaurants.
Introspection. Jacqueline Z. Davidson, artist
Odyssey Co-op Gallery presents In the Studio with Vivian Saich Designs. Saich will be throwing, piercing and carving porcelain orchid pots from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Having had to forego use of her studio space at Odyssey and work in a smaller, makeshift home studio during the shutdowns, she looks forward to her Second Saturday demonstration. “My event is an opportunity for folks to pop by and ask me questions while I work so that we can get to know each other again,” Saich says. “I think it’s fun for visitors to meet and see artists at work, and I personally enjoy sharing my work and creative process.”
At Wedge Studios, Mark Bettis Studio & Gallery hosts Finding the Light, an exhibition of work by painter David Sheldon, who, during pandemic times, has looked to nature for inspiration. An opening reception will be held from 4–6:30 p.m., and the work will be on display and offered for sale until Saturday, July 24.
The Magnetic Theatre presents live performances of Kore: A Modern Myth by Gabrielle Orcha. This contemporary telling of the Persephone myth will run July 9–24 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and on Sundays at 4 p.m.
With nearly everyone a little more at liberty to stroll this summer, Trackside Studios celebrates with People Watching, an exhibition of work that features the human shape and form through the widely different perspectives of more than 30 artists. The opening reception in the Atrium Gallery will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the exhibition runs through Saturday, July 31.
“Our group shows are always fascinating to create,” says artist Lynn Stanley. “Like our artists, the individual works combine and converse with each other, and the exhibition, like the Trackside vibe, becomes much more than a sum of its parts.” Also offered on Second Saturday from 12–4 p.m. are refreshments and demonstrations by various resident artists.
310 Art at Riverview Station invites visitors to make their own collages to take or to donate to a super-collage, the sale of which will benefit 310 Art’s Emerging Artist Scholarship Fund. Artist Bridget Benton will also be unveiling two 24” x 24” collaborative collages made during World Collage Day in May. “As an artist and an art teacher, I love engaging as many people as possible in the creative process,” Benton says, “especially adults, who often get left behind in these kinds of hands-on, make-and-take art experiences. I think making art is not only relaxing (creativity is great for mental health), it also builds a real appreciation for what artists do.” Events take place from 12–4 p.m.
For a complete schedule of events and times, a map and a studio guide to the district’s artists, visit RiverArtsDistrict.com. Studios have varying hours. Information may also be found at websites for studios and individual artists.
