On July 15 the Springfield Art Association opened a gallery exhibit featuring Third Thursday artists. As a summer gallery plan fell through at the nearly century-old arts organization, executive director Betsy Dollar contacted the Third Thursday group and instigated a gallery show. She gave the artists a theme of music for inspiration and called the gallery show ArtBeats to coincide with the SAA’s upcoming Jazz Canvas event on Aug. 19. Quite suddenly the oldest arts group in town hosted the youngest, and both organizations improved each other’s credibility while introducing art to different audiences and artists to a different world.
“The artists I wanted were the younger undiscovered ones in the area that we could develop relationships with. In the future we can do more elaborate exhibitions with extra time to plan,” Dollar stated. “It coincides with our plans to truly be a community art center as an anchor for the arts community. And it’s nice to see work that is multi-media and experimental and to bring in something different.”
Considering that the last gallery exhibit consisted of works by the Illinois Prairie Pastel Society and the next one is of students and faculty of the SAA, the Third Thursdays collection could well be the most avant-garde-leaning show of 2011. The dissimilar designs of the various members of the loosely formed union make for a stunning show on the walls of the often less-than-provocative hall. An exclamation made by one viewer while taking in the ArtsBeats exhibit – “Do these artists all live here, in Springfield?!” – could very well be a slogan for Third Thursday members as they continue to present heartfelt art in an uncommon way.
“It’s so unique to have a show that has no jury and no fees, plus everyone who volunteers their time makes it special,” added Felicia
Olin. “Michael has really started a great thing for us. It’s the kind of thing we all talk about doing but it never gets there. This got there.”
As with any new, expanding organization, growing pains continue, but without a doubt, the movement from thought to action took an amazing and rewarding path. By allowing new and undiscovered artists the opportunity to show creative works to a wider audience through involvement in the process, Third Thursdays changed the practice of presenting art in Springfield, ushering in a new era of art appreciation while exposing a fresh group of artists to the public scene.
Contact Tom Irwin at [email protected].
