As you walk into the gallery, prepare to be instantly uplifted by the vibe of creativity and inspiration to be found everywhere. A collection of creative artists have contributed their own personal work to a bigger work: an art exhibit which has been given the name “Anthology.” The choice of name comes from the dictionary definition of Anthology, meaning “a book or collection of writings by various others.” In this case, the stories have been written boldly and visually.
Featured artists of the exhibit include: Anna Longworth, Scott Barber, Kelsey Greene, Benji Frazzetto, Sergio Juan, Eva Blackburn and Matthew Freeman. With a wide variety of styles and media, this is a collection with unique twists at every turn.
First up, immediately inside the door, is the work of featured artist Benji Frazzetto. With works varying from mixed media paintings, wire and ceramic sculptures, dark room negative prints, and even hand-stamped business cards, Frazzetto never fails to keep his viewers guessing.
As I sat down next to him to discuss his body of work, he proceeded to create a selection of his hand-stamped business cards, saying, “Everything I create is a piece of artwork in itself.” When I asked Frazetto what kind of artist he would describe himself as, he replied with a simple and yet somewhat complex answer. “I would define myself as a process artist,” he told me, adding that, when it comes to art and creating, “It’s about the journey.”
Following Frazetto’s work, geographically, Anna Longworth displays a series of her photographs under the title “Pathetic Fallacy.” She explains, “This is a term used to express and describe parallels between human emotion and objects of nature.” Drawing her inspiration from raw emotion, the world around us, traveling, and observing people and their behaviors, this is a very fitting name for the series displayed.
Nearby, two other artists display their work on the top floor of the gallery. Scott Barber, a local Graphic Designer specializing in t-shirt design with a somewhat humorous background. For example, Barber designed a Shampoo-Banana shirt, inspired by Chambana’s local scene (seen above). You can find Barber’s work in Downtown Urbana’s Bohemia and online.
Other featured artists include photographer and current art director at Indi Go Art, Kelsey Greene, as well as Sergio Juan, who goes by the title of symbolism artist. With accompaniment by local acoustic musician Jeremy McConnaha and complimentary wine and cupcakes, the overall atmosphere was nothing short of a pleasant, eye-opening experience. Make sure to check out the gallery, which is open from 6-8 p.m. until February 7th.
