Published: September 09, 2007 10:18 pm      

MEDINA: GoART! gallery moves to the Shirt Factory Cafe

The work of local artists Arthur Barnes and Ali Carter will be showcased at the Genesee/Orleans Regional Art Council’s satellite gallery in Medina when it moves to The Shirt Factory Café Sept. 18.

The decision to move the GoART! gallery from the former Medina Chamber of Commerce Office on Main Street was an easy one, said Executive Director Linda Blanchet. The marriage of the two will expose local artists to the community while increasing foot traffic at the cafe.

“It’s a much nicer setting aesthetically,” Carter said. “People who didn’t go into the gallery before will see these things. It makes The Shirt Factory (Café) a small cultural center.”

Gallery viewing hours will be extended to match the cafe’s hours of operation, allowing increased public access to view the pieces. Never-before-seen creations will be displayed on a café wall in six-week rotations, Blanchet said, starting with Barnes’ and Carter’s pieces.

Carter, a resident of Waterport who owns Cedars of Hiram furniture shop on Stillwater Road, began creating wood-based art in his home a few years ago. His large-scale piece “Historic Lyndonville” is now on display at the Lyndonville M&T Bank.

The gallery will exhibit two of Carter’s mirrors and a series of tray creations, he said. The mirrors are slightly curved on the sides and matted with a square frame of patterned wood.

“They both have a lot of movement and depth in the grain,” he said. Each one of the tray pieces are also made largely of wood, with various stone or metal accents.

Barnes has made a mark on the community with his indoor and outdoor murals that are on display in Medina, Albion and Holley. A mural of two mules pulling an Erie Canal boat hangs in the Medina canal basin. Several of his watercolor paintings depicting night scenes of local sites will be unveiled at the gallery, including one of historic downtown Medina.

All of the pieces will be on loan to GoART! and available for sale once the exhibit changes, Carter said. Local artists who wish to have their artwork displayed may fill out an application with GoART!

There are two galleries in Genesee County and one at the visitor’s center in Albion, Blanchet said.

“The mission of these galleries is to get exposure for artists’ work, because there aren’t any other galleries in Orleans County,” she said.

The grand opening Sept. 18 will include entertainment and refreshments, Blanchet said. The event will also coincide with GoArt’s annual meeting at 5:30 p.m. Both Carter and Barnes will be available to discuss their work.

Contact reporter Nicole Colemanat 798-1400, ext. 2227.