Conversation about 2012 and what's next in 2013.

Happy New Year from all of us here at Light Grey Art Lab!

We started the new year off right by running to the airport to pick up Francesca, who was visiting friends and family for the holidays, and headed straight to the gallery to record a podcast!

Jenny, Francesca, Chris and I recorded our year end / year beginning thoughts about what we've learned, things we've loved, and everything we're looking forward to!

We're excited to share our conversation with you, and we're looking forward to a lot more podcasts and downloadable content in 2013! We hope you enjoy it!

Subscribe via iTunes!

Click here to download the MP3 file.

2012 Reflections and Looking Forward to 2013
Length: 57:46
Music: As Colorful As Ever by Broke For Free via FMA.
Synopsis: Lindsay, Chris, Francesca and Jenny reflect on Light Grey Art Lab's first nine months, and talk about what's to come. We start with our thoughts on everything that happened in 2012. Then move on to personal and professional goals and plans for 2013. Finally, we wrap up by sharing some details about Light Grey Art Lab's 2013 lineup.

UPDATE: There was some audio distortion around the 35 minute mark, which became pretty unbearable. We had to clip it out, so there's a missing 4 minutes there. During that missing chunk, Jenny mentioned ideas about creating a Light Grey Art Lab Residency, we discussed plans of doing more books and printed collections, we talked about the expirience of seeing a show in person and how the upcoming Message In A Bottle show is about getting people to slow down and scrutinize a piece of artwork. And finally Francesca spoke to incorporating more lectures and events that enhance our making and viewing experience.

The Top Ten Year In Review

The other day, Lindsay, Chris, Jenny and I were reflecting on the past year and we realized that somehow, with all of things that are currently going on, we kind of lost track of all of the things that had already happened. A person I admire once joked to a friend "you are making so many things that you don't even know when you've made something". In order to really remember 2012, I began a list of ten things that we are especially proud of this year.

1. Light Grey Art Lab, The Place

You can see more renovation photos here!

A little over a year ago, Paper Bicycle was looking for a new space. We toured a number of places and we liked a few of them for different reasons, but when we walked into the space that is now Light Grey Art Lab, it was a little different. There, despite needing some work, it had the potential to become so many things. Even then we couldn’t imagine everything that it is now, but there was something in this place that inspired care and effort.

A lot of work went into making the space into what it is today, and we owe so many people for their help. We especially need to thank Linda and Victor Nohl, Jon Hajny, Myra Andreasson and Jesse Riggle for dedicating a lot of hard work, time and resources into beautifying the gallery.

2. Light Grey’s First Opening: Patterns & People

Read and see more about our Grand Opening here!

Our first opening was a celebration of what Light Grey Art Lab was to become. The artists featured–Nic Skrade, Andres Guzman, Jesse Riggle, Lindsay Nohl, Chris Hajny, Alyssa Nassner and me (Francesca Buchko) are local to Minneapolis and are not only talented, but have a past involved with other facets of creative life–teaching, lecturing and sharing their talents. We wanted Light Grey to be about creative collaboration, and so our first show embodied that.

The turnout was phenomenal–better than we could have ever imagined! We are so grateful for everyone that came over to show his or her support. It was because of these people that we knew what we were doing was going to be good.

3. Pokémon: Battle Royale

Read more about Pokémon: Battle Royale here!

The Pokémon: Battle Royale show, curated by Alyssa Nassner and Bryan Ische, helped us realize our potential to become a gallery for large group shows. There was perpetual enthusiasm for the show, from the call for art to the opening reception. Though so much of organizing and running the show was a learning experience, it really helped shape the way our large group shows are put together now.

Thanks to the rigorous support of the internet’s Pokémon fans, artists and guests to the gallery; without them none of this would be possible!

4. The Surtex and Stationery Show NYC Trip

Learn more about the NYC Trip here!

Every year, Paper Bicycle makes a trip to NYC to attend the Surtex and Stationery shows. Product design is what we love and what we do, and through Light Grey Art Lab, we were able to share our knowledge of the trade show, trend shopping and spend a little time enjoying the sights, food and fun of New York.

We were privileged with a hard-working and astute group of twelve artists. Working with these individuals helped shape Light Grey’s workshop component. Learning and creating is an important part of Light Grey Art Lab's mission, but so is making friends! We’re happy to still be in contact with many of the artists that took part in this trip.

5. Hiring a Gallery Manager

Follow Jenny's work here!

As Light Grey very quickly grew, it became clear that we were going to need more than just a little help. We needed somebody who understood how to run a gallery–something we were still just figuring out. We also needed somebody who could rise to the challenge of organizing Light Grey Art Lab while  still loving it like the small baby infant that it was.  Jenny Bookler is the answer to our wishes. We are continually impressed by her experience in coordinating shows and her steadfast, hard-working nature. She's also patient and kind–we couldn't ask for a better gallery manager.

6. Meg Hunt’s Illustration Bootcamp

Learn more about Meg Hunt's workshop here!

In June we were privileged to have the ridiculously talented Meg Hunt as a guest teacher. The result was Illustration Bootcamp, a weekend devoted to developing an illustration practice. 18 creatives participated and became a steadfast, supportive group of art friends. It was an honor getting to know Meg, too; it’s always a delight to find that the person behind the beautiful art is intelligent and charming!    

7. Growing–The Art Shows

Check out our Flickr gallery for photos of all of the shows!

This is where sorting events down to ten slots became a little more difficult. Between the beginning and now, Light Grey has hosted nine gallery shows and numerous workshops, lectures and classes, and every single one of them has made this experience full and rewarding. 

Every show has been unique, varying in size and subject. What I love most about all of the shows, though, is that each has displayed outstanding artwork through the care and talent of the artists and organizers involved.

In May, Bill Rebholz and Llew Mejia presented Street Fortunate; in June Tuesday Bassen curated The Garden of Earthly Delights, July featured Fairytales & Florals, curated by Teagan White, August held Adam Hoppus's and Chris Schon’s Night of the Exquisite Corpse and in September Lindsay Nohl curated the Expletive Show. Thoroughout these, Light Grey has developed methods of organizing and working with artists.

8. Growing–The Workshops

Check out our Flickr gallery for photos of all of the workshops!

As much as Light Grey was intended to be a space to showcase artwork, it was intended to be a space to encourage learning and growth of creative practice. It isn’t limited to painting and drawing. We adore the painting sessions, pen-and-ink workshops (headed by phenomenally talented folks like Andres Guzman and Llew Mejia), watercolor and sketching workshops, but we’ve also held tea-tastings with Verdant Tea’s David and Lily Duckler and Brandon Lovejoy, lectures about the history of Punk Rock and history of the F-word (by Ollie Stench and Deanna Larsen, respectively), picture book story-telling workshops with Nancy Carlson, terrarium-building with Lindsay Nohl and more.

Part of the experience of being involved at Light Grey has been witnessing these amazing individuals share the things they love with us. 

9. The Tarot, Mystics & Occult Show and The Girls: Fact or Fiction Show

See photos of the Tarot Show here and the Girls Show here!

These two shows were phenomenal and could use numbered slots of their own, but I’ve grouped them together because both of them introduced a new component to the list of things we’d always wanted to make: a printed product.

The Light Grey Tarot Deck began production early after the Pokémon: Battle Royale show. By the time the decks officially arrived in October we were psyched: we had completed our first beautifully printed creation. A lot of work went into making the limited run, and it is thanks to the artists, design work by Lindsay, the Light Grey team and designer Kelsey Dusenka that we have a deck that we are very proud to display.

The next challenge (which began as we were finishing the Light Grey deck) was to create a book. It is definitely something I have always wanted to be a part of, so it was an honor to be involved in the production of the Girls: Fact or Fiction book with so many really talented artists. The Light Grey staff put in extra hours editing and designing, making the show’s opening deadline in time to showcase the artwork in our second printed creation.

The shows themselves were also a blast! We were thrilled to have professional Tarot readers Corrine Kenner and Chuck Boe at the Occult show. The support for the Girls Show, both online and in person has made us really excited to continue making large group shows a part of our repertoire!

10. Our Community

Light Grey Art Lab needs something else that our team can't fabricate. We love making things and organizing things and we always will, but it’s because of everybody involved that it is worth it. Light Grey is a group effort, and the more people involved the more diverse and enriching it becomes.

This past December we held community get-togethers–the Light Grey Lock-In and the (third annual) Holiday Cookie Party. With our online community we hosted “Make My Holiday” art swap. Things like these are rooted in our main objective: bringing creative people together.

I believe that everybody is creative. Painting is creative, and so is cooking. Building things, sewing things, even thinking things is creative. Problem-solving is creative. I believe that by our nature we are creative. It is an honor to be a part of Light Grey Art Lab, a place that encourages that creativity, and to encounter so many people who come to Light Grey to share what they’ve made.

Cheers, 2012! 2013, we're ready for you!

Last chance to catch the Expletive Show!

J. Zachary Keenan's piece for the Expletive Typography Show

This Friday is your last chance to see the Expletive Show at Light Grey!
It's sad to see it go, but we're so happy to have hosted this amazing group of designers and artists. After months of planning, then installing, then admiring the work, we've grown a bond with the risque and rude work on the walls -- the pieces have become a pleasant backdrop to our daily, profanity laden lives.

I just want to encourage you to stop in and see it before it goes!
We'll be open today and tomorrow until 7pm if you're in the neighborhood and can make it down, otherwise, there's still a chance to see it on the shop.

Here's a link for the curious and appreciative that can't make it to Minneapolis.
The posters are for sale on the shop, so please help us spread the word about them before they're gone!

Hope you get a chance to bond with the pieces as we've been able to!

Thanks for all of your support for this show, we've had a blast!
Artists, you guys are wonderful, and admirers, you guys are awesome.
We've enjoyed this immensely.

** If you've forgotten, or if this is the first you've heard of the show, just be warned that many of them contain offensive and colorful language! :)

Expletive Sneak Peek 2

Preview of Adam Garcia's piece

We're only a couple days away and we're holding in all of our curses til the day of.
Here are some amazing sneak peeks of another 4 talented artists & designers in the upcoming Expletive Typography Show.

If you're in Minneapolis -- make sure to stop by and celebrate the wonderful world of curses! Remember, it's from 7 - 10pm at Light Grey Art Lab (118 E 26th Street #101 - Mpls MN 55404 - On the corner of 26th and Stevens Ave).

If you wear a piece of clothing that fits the theme of the show, we'll give you a free one-night-only print, and we'll also probably give you a high-five. Because that's how excited we are.


A small cropped piece of Jesse Lindhorst's piece


Great work by Bryan Haker


And one more to finish it off - a preview of Andres Guzman's piece

You'll have to visit us on Friday to see the rest of these awesome pieces!
More updates soon! Help us spread the word.
Here is a link to our facebook event.
We hope you can make it!

Fairytales and Florals : Kailey Lang's amazing work

The Wolf and the Crane, by Kailey Lang

It's the beginning of the second week of the Fairytales and Florals show! We're eyeing up our favorite pieces and we're having a hard time not coveting all the work on the walls. This week we wanted to share a couple of our favorite pieces from Kailey Lang.


Hare and the Tortoise, by Kailey Lang

These remind us of storybook illustrations from the turn of the century. I love the tiny details and how calm they are. Francesca's favorite of the three is one called "The Dog and the Shadow"


The Dog and the Shadow, by Kailey Lang

Stop by the space between noon - 7pm W-F, or visit the shop to see everything in the show! There are more amazing pieces where these came from!

Tarot, Mystics and the Occult Exhibition : Tarot Card Artists Announced

UPDATE!

PRE ORDER A COPY OF THE LIGHT GREY TAROT (includes all 78 Major and Minor Arcana and a 32 page guidebook featuring the symbolism, meaning and several classic Tarot spreads) HERE!

Finally, we're announcing all 78 artists that are participating in the Tarot Card exhibition and project! (Part of the Tarot, Mystics and the Occult Exhibition!). It's true! This show is a two-parter! Those of you that have extended a link to us to your awesome work, THANK YOU! As always, it's incredibly tough to narrow it down (especially with this group, since we've got so many awesome people!).

ATTENTION ARTISTS: There is still a second round of invites coming! We are still preparing the second artist list for the Mystics and the Occult section of the show!
Be on the look-out for that announcement!

As you may have guessed, we're going all out for this show. We're looking to really fill the gallery with mystical, magical and incredible pieces -and- the space will be filled with fate-tempting booths with live tarot readings and other fortune-telling and mystical experiences! For this project: Each artist selected for the Tarot exhibition will be exhibiting an incredible large-scale print of their work and we'll also be publishing a limited quantity of fully illustrated Tarot Decks containing the work of all 78 artists, just for this occasion!

So, if that doesn't get you excited, I don't know what will!
We'll be posting more news about the event as it gets closer, but until then - feast your eyes on part one of two:

(are you sitting? good.)
Here are all 78 of our Tarot Artists:

01. The Magician : Andrea Kalfas
02. The High Priestess : Karl Kwasny
03. The Empress : Soleil Ignacio
04. The Emperor : Rodrigo Aviles
05. The Hierophant : Curtis Square-Briggs
06. The Lovers : Angela Rizza
07. The Chariot : Lillian Joan Duermeier
08. Strength : Maike Plenzke
09. The Hermit : Matt Hansen
10. Wheel of Fortune : Andres Guzman
11. Justice : Richie Pope
12. The Hanged Man : Mike Puncekar
13. Death : Sachin Teng
14. Temperance : Felipe Vargas Lübbert
15. The Devil : Nic Skrade
16. The Tower : Thomas Scholes
17. The Star : Ashley Mackenzie
18. The Moon : Romain Mennetrier
19. The Sun : Ricardo Bessa
20. The Last Judgement : Jeff Langevin
21. The Fool : Bill Rebholz
22. The World : Manuel Kilger
23. King of Wands : Heather Danforth
24. Queen of Wands : Francesca Buchko
25. Knight of Wands : Mikkel Sommer
26. Page of Wands : Allegra Lockstadt
27. 10 of Wands : Roxy Polk
28. 9 of Wands : Tim Durning
29. 8 of Wands : Trevor Basset
30. 7 of Wands : Francois Maumont
31. 6 of Wands : Cheyenne Curtis
32. 5 of Wands : Ryan Andrews
33. 4 of Wands : Emma Trithart
34. 3 of Wands : Elena Boils
35. 2 of Wands : B. Paul Patterson
36. Ace of Wands : Jay Rogers
37. King of Cups : Mildred Louis
38. Queen of Cups : Jen Mundy
39. Knight of Cups : Natalie Hall
40. Page of Cups : Jesse Riggle
41. 10 of Cups : Trung Nguyen
42. 9 of Cups : Seo Kim
43. 8 of Cups : Daniel Fishel
44. 7 of Cups : Amy Schmitt
45. 6 of Cups : Erik Krenz
46. 5 of Cups : Katy Farina
47. 4 of Cups : Llew Mejia
48. 3 of Cups : Melissa Ling
49. 2 of Cups : Kyla Vanderklugt
50. Ace of Cups : Ulana Zahajkewycz
51. King of Swords : Abby Boeh
52. Queen of Swords : Meg Hunt
53. Knight of Swords : Meg Park
54. Page of Swords : Nadia Alenov
55. 10 of Swords : Chris Hajny
56. 9 of Swords : Alyssa Nassner
57. 8 of Swords : Chloe Chan
58. 7 of Swords : Annie Wu
59. 6 of Swords : Courtney Cashon
60. 5 of Swords : Joanna Barnum
61. 4 of Swords : Nick Stokes
62. 3 of Swords : Michelle Mishka Colombo
63. 2 of Swords : Amber Seegmiller
64. Ace of Swords : Lindsay Nohl
65. King of Pentacles : Stacey Lee
66. Queen of Pentacles : Teagan White
67. Knight of Pentacles : Aleks Sennwald
68. Page of Pentacles : Evan Palmer
69. 10 of Pentacles : Sam Schechter
70. 9 of Pentacles : Carly Monardo
71. 8 of Pentacles : Nicole Miles
72. 7 of Pentacles : JP Valderrama - The Fresh Doodle
73. 6 of Pentacles : Jaqueline Lang
74. 5 of Pentacles : Ricardo Lopez Ortiz
75. 4 of Pentacles : Chris Cheetham
76. 3 of Pentacles : Jenny Bookler
77. 2 of Pentacles : Corilu
78. Ace of Pentacles : Amélie Flechais

May the fates smile upon all of us.

EXPLETIVE SHOW : Exhibitor List

Preview clip of Thomas Bradley's art piece for the Expletive show. Chenille Embroidery on a Wool Ground

I have to apologize profusely for waiting this long to announce the collection of artists for the Expletive Typography Exhibition and Poster Show : Ugly words to admire. You have my permission to curse in my general direction (which would be fitting for so many reasons).

A huge thank you to everyone that came out and posted a link to your site! It was a hard decision and we will encourage all of you to come back and submit your sites for our future shows. For this show in particular, we were looking for a great assortment of designers, typographers and illustrators that love type (who may or may not be particularly fond of colorful words). We initially sent out some super special invites to some of our favorite designers before the official call for entries, then followed up the invitations with our official call for art!

I'm extremely proud to announce the exhibiting artist list for the
EXPLETIVE show:

Bao Nguyen
Paul Nolan
Sasha Prood
Teagan White
Gatti Mauro
Adam Garcia
Peéle Lemos
Lee Basford
Jeff Rogers
Anton Pearson
Kervin Brisseaux
Aaron Rayburn
Kate Bingaman-Burt
Llew Mejia
Bill Rebholz
Eric Gorvin
Andres Guzman
Greg Abbott
Bryan Haker
Jackson Alves
Lilo Krebernik
Patswerk Grafisch Ontwerp
Crystal Kluge
Lindsay Nohl
Rob Pflaum
Bryan Ische
Anne Ulku
J. Zachary Keenan
Ann Shen
Jesse Lindhorst
Norah Stone
Zoe Zoe Sheen
Adam Hoppus
Victor Melendez
Britt Wilson
Kate Worum
Kristin Nohe
Sophie Blackhall Cain
Superexpresso
Lloyd Eugene Winter IV
Thomas Bradley
Sam Michaels
Dai Foldes

There's no doubt that our walls will be filled with the most beautiful dirty-words you've ever seen. So! Mark your calendar for FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 14th from 7 - 10pm.
We'll have floor-to-ceiling posters, dirty food and music that will make your grandmother disapprove.

ALSO. Do you own a piece of clothing that would fit right in with the theme of our show? If so, wear it to the opening and we'll give you a free special edition print!

Help us spread the word! More updates to come!
Thanks again to everyone that submitted your link and to all of our participating artists!

Booked & Excited! NYC Trip Surtex & the Stationery Show!

A cute picture of Mary Nelson & Taisha Bosher from last year's NYC trip!

Well, we're booked! We had an overwhelmingly positive response to our New York City travel workshop hosted by Light Grey Art Lab!

We're headed to the Surtex and Stationery Show in May!! We couldn't believe that we completely booked up under three days and had to wiggle some things around to extend our original 8 slots to our now-11 person excursion!

So far so good! We're booked at a great hotel in Chelsea, and we're in the process of getting all 11 of them registered for the show, getting all of the workshop materials ready, and getting some fancy gift bags ready for all the awesome people attending our workshop!

We're planning a couple more excursions later in the year and we'll keep you posted!
Exciting news! I hope you guys can make it to next year's NYC trip!