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ART & SOUL

New gallery to serve Ely artists

Keith Vandervort
Posted 5/28/16

ELY – Close to 300 artists call Ely their home, yet there has not been one venue for all of them to showcase their work – until now.

Art & Soul Gallery is the brainchild of Nancy Scheibe. She …

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ART & SOUL

New gallery to serve Ely artists

Posted

ELY – Close to 300 artists call Ely their home, yet there has not been one venue for all of them to showcase their work – until now.

Art & Soul Gallery is the brainchild of Nancy Scheibe. She calls it a hybrid art co-op for lack of a better description. The new business at 427 East Sheridan Street will be celebrating their grand opening on Saturday

“My goal has always been to serve the artists in the Ely area,” Scheibe said. “There are over 270 of us and there have been few venues to get our work out there.”

Her original concepts of how to operate the unique venue have changed a bit since the onset of the project more than a year ago, but that is normal for any new business.

“The artists I have currently are an amazing team,” Scheibe said. “I had hoped the atmosphere between the artists would be collaborative, empowering and encouraging and the artists I have are that and more.”

From the whimsical signage, inviting décor with repurposed doors for walls and a color theme that lends itself to the appreciation of the artwork within, this is a unique gallery for Ely.

Scheibe said she enjoyed the process of putting the project together, from initiating an online fundraising campaign, on Kickstarter, to finding the building and renovating it. “What I enjoyed the most in this process is the excitement the artists had while bringing their art in to install it in the gallery,” she said.

“The outcome was greater than I had anticipated. The look of the outside of the building, the inside, the signage and the fantastic variety of art that hangs on the walls and in the displays all came together in a magical way,” she said.

Several businesses in Ely have used Kickstarter to raise funds to get off the ground, or for expansions and renovations, including Crapola and Two Gringos Grill.

The Art & Soul Gallery online funding project took a lot of the anxiety out of the start of Scheibe’s new business venture. “The personal investment of funds was still great, but the lack of big business loans will help ensure the longevity of the gallery,” she said. “I was able to purchase higher end equipment that will last longer and make a big difference in the presentation of the art. The other thing it did was to help me see in a tangible way the support this great community has for this project and the talented artists who call Ely home.”

Art & Soul will feature a guest artist each month. For the rest of this month and in June, Ely’s own Samantha Corbett will be featured. She recently graduated from college with an art degree and will start graduate school in the fall at Syracuse University.

“In July our guest artist will be Warren Arcila, a former Ely resident who will be in town to teach some art classes,” Scheibe said. “In August we will host the ‘Living With Fire’ art exhibit involving all visual media depicting various aspects of living in an area where wildfire is a reality.”

On most days in the gallery, an artist will be demonstrating their art. “Later this summer I will be working in the gallery on the murals that will hang on either side of the building,” she said.

Customers can watch the development of those murals. On the west wall will be a mural consisting of a collage of animals. The mural on the east side of the building will be the iconic picture of Eddie Crossman’s moose team.

A grand opening celebration will be held Saturday, May 28, featuring artist demonstrations, gift certificate giveaways, and treats. For more information on Art & Soul Galley, call 218-365-7300, or email info@artandsoul.com.

Artists who are currently featured at Art & Soul Gallery include:

Nancy Scheibe - Painting, Cards, Scratch Board, Prints, Sculpture

Sarah Guy-Levar - Painting, Cards

Pamela Davis - Fiber, Metalwork, Mixed Media

Todd Hohenstein - Glass

Kathy and Michael Brennan - Wood

Wade Pharr - Ceramics, Mixed Media

Dafne Caruso - Cards

Roy Misonznick - Photography, Cards

Linda Lenich - Painting, Cards, Prints

Dale Beers - Photography

Rachel Colber - Painting, Mixed Media

Nancy Ensley - Painting, Cards

Nancy Hernesmaa - Ceramics

Noelle Reiter - Jewelry

Joe Vito Maubry - Photography.