Madison's art scene achieved a new level of class with the opening of the Slingshot Gallery, 330 W. Lakeside St. Slingshot opened its doors Feb. 17 drawing local collectors, students and art fans alike to view the gallery's inaugural exhibition.
Named Eye Gouge\ as a reference to the graphic style of the work and the printmaking process, the exhibition features printed works from 11 different artists from across the Midwest and Texas. Presenting a diverse range of styles and printmaking techniques, including woodcuts, ink-jet and everything in between, ""Eye Gouge"" builds on the local printmaking tradition, while including cutting-edge art from today's up-and-coming artists.
Drawing even more attention than the artwork is the refreshingly professional gallery space. After two months of renovations to the historic South Side Bank Building, operators Gregory Nanney and Joseph Velasquez have succeeded in creating a gallery space that is comfortable, elegantly styled and well suited for viewing high-caliber works of art.
A far cry from the cramped and dilapidated University galleries, and presenting a different vibe than the recently-closed One Ten Gallery, the Slingshot Gallery succeeds in bringing contemporary artwork to the public in a venue that enhances the viewing experience.
""So many times you see an artist at a show dressed in torn jeans looking like he just came out of the studio,"" Velasquez said, who along with Nanney greeted guests while sporting sleek formalwear. ""We like to dress it up.""
In spite of its chic environment, the Slingshot directors hope to maintain a casual, inviting atmosphere.
""We want to create a space that's youthful, engaging and accessible to all the public,"" Velasquez explained. ""We want to hang out and have fun, but we also have the objective to sell some art.""
Nanney and Velasquez, both graduate students in UW-Madison's art department, said there is a challenge in juggling the responsibilities of being both gallery directors and artists. But because they work as a team along with curators Sasha Bergstrom-Katz and Megan Mancini, the gallery commitment has not hindered their own work as artists and has helped them gain new artistic perspective.
""It's given us a chance to learn the different transactions between artists and galleries and buyers,"" Nanney said. ""We get to view the art world outside of academia.""
With the Slingshot team hard at work, Madison art fans can look forward to an excitingly rich schedule of exhibitions in coming months including one-night-only shows, performance pieces, paintings and more printed works.
Slingshot's next major exhibition, ""Ready, Set, Go,"" is scheduled to run March 17 to March 23 and will feature selected works from the submissions of local artists who have pieces ready to exhibit and sell.
For those who want one last look at ""Eye Gouge,"" The Slingshot Gallery will have a closing reception tonight at 7 p.m. Guests who have already seen ""Eye Gouge"" will have incentive to return, however, as the closing reception will mark the opening of the back portion of the gallery, twice as many works of art and a video room converted from the old bank vault.
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