Winterland Opening Recap

The opening of Winterland was incredible! Thank you so much to all of the participating artists, both in the main show and our one-night pop-up shop! We are so happy to see all the new and familiar faces, and to see so many people making it out even in this cold weather!

Sarah Evenson and Jennifer Bowman, two of the artists in our pop-up shop, enjoying each others company

The pop-up shop featured local artists selling prints, zines, pins, handmade sets of runes, and more.

Julia of Bingley's Teas demonstrating Gongfu Cha

We were also thrilled to have our neighbor Bingley's Teas in the gallery, demonstrating the Gongfu Cha way of making tea for anyone interested in participating. Our friends at Common Roots Café also provided a tasty tray of baked goods for refreshments.

Adam Gruetzmacher with his handmade ceramic works

We got to see many of our Minneapolis maker friends at the opening as well, and it was wonderful chatting with them about their products and processes!

If you were able to make it out, we hope you had as good of a time as we did! If you weren't able to stop by, the show will be up through February, and you can also find all of the participating makers' collections on the Winterland webpage.

For more photos from the opening, check out our Flickr page here!

Fairly Dark Opening Reception Recap

Thank you to everyone who came for our opening reception of Fairly Dark, a collection of solo exhibitions featuring new work from Nico Delort, Sishir Bommakanti, Natalie Hall, and Kathleen Jennings!

The night kicked off with an artist lecture by Nico Delort, who discussed his intricate and intensive scratchboard process, his inspirations, and his path as a visual artist, surrounded by the amazing work from the Fairly Dark exhibitions!

Following that, we cleared space for a massive Drink & Draw, hosted by our friends at THE VACVVM. Visitors spent the night getting to know one another with friendly discussions, comparing sketchbooks, and cold beverages! THE VACVVM even provided a set of prizes which were raffled off during the night, and some lucky participants walked away with some amazing pieces of art!

Thanks again to all the artists who participated and to everyone who came to see us!

You can see the artwork from the Fairly Dark exhibitions on our website:
Nico Delort -- Sishir Bommakanti -- Natalie Hall -- Kathleen Jennings

And find more photos from the event on our flickr page.

Comic Exhibition and Autoptic Art Festival Recap!

Last week, Light Grey had the wonderful opportunity to participate in Autoptic, a biennial two-day festival of independent culture, which happened in downtown Minneapolis! The festival was filled with tons of great artwork from local and national exhibitors, including comics, zines, prints, and everthing in between.

Many of the exhibitors and festival attendees gathered at Light Grey Art Lab for the opening reception and Autoptic kick-off party. It was a two-part exhibition featuring international comic artists, displaying their new works, printed projects, and original drawings. The exhibition was hosted by Autoptic and ChiFouMi and held at Light Grey Art Lab.

Anders Nilsen curated a show titled Nothing Will Ever Be The Same featuring work by Charles Burns, Aidan Koch, Antoine Marchalot, Helge Reumann, and Laura Park. Additionally, there was a small solo exhibition of work by Dominique Goblet called Works on Paper. It was a lively scene as groups of artists and art appreciators met and celebrated with the anticipation of an art-filled weekend ahead. We loved hosting the event and would like to thank every one who stopped by and made the night so special!

We loved every minute of the weekend and meeting all of you! If you missed the chance to stop by our booth at Autoptic, you can always see the latest work at shop.lightgrey.com. You can also see the Comic Exhibition that will be on display through August 20th. Thanks again to all of the awesome exhibitors and supporters of Autoptic, and we look forward to the next event!

Patches + Stitches Opening Reception and Teagan White's Artist Talk- Recap!

Artwork by Courtney Wirth

Thanks to everyone who made it out last week to the opening reception and celebration of the Patches + Stitches Exhibition! We kicked off the evening with an artist talk and discussion by illustrator, Teagan White. Teagan walked us through her practice, sources of inspiration, and how her work has developed over the years! You can find the artist talk on the Light Grey Podcast here!

The artist talk with backed by the Patches + Stitches Exhibition, which features handmade originals and limited edition woks by 70+ illustrators and designers from around the globe. These unique collections include similar materials, textiles, and fabrics, with drastically different results! Guests were able to walk through the gallery perusing the variety of techniques, hand done typography, ornate details, and delicate originals!

Patches + Stitches will be on display at Light Grey Art Lab through July 18th! Stop by to see these great pieces and check out the entire collection on the Light Grey Shop. You can also view more works from the opening reception on the Light Grey Flickr page here. Thanks again and we hope to see you soon!

Work by Meg Hunt

Iceland Residency Exhibition Opening + Sam Bosma Artist Talk!

Thanks to everyone who made it out to the opening reception of the Iceland Residency Exhibition! We had a fantastic time celebrating the show, the artwork, and meeting with all of you!

The Iceland Residency Exhibition features new collections of artwork by the fourteen particiapting artists in the 2014 Iceland Residency. They artists come from a wide variety of backgrounds, mediums, and locations, and have each created a unique series inspired by their travels, conversations, and collaborations.

The opening events began with an artist talk by award-winning illustrator and comic artist, Sam Bosma! Guests filed in to watch Sam present on some of his current projects, narrative works, and thoughts on illustration. The talk was followed by a quick Q & A, where attendees could ask Sam about his experience in illustration, working with art directors, and about some of his most well known works for Fantasy Basketball and Steven's Universe.

If you weren't able to make it for the talk, you can listen to the audio recording of the lecture on the Light Grey Podcast here.

After the lecture, we opened the doors for the reception and creatives meet + greet! There were tons of contributing artists attending, local creatives, and art lovers alike! If you missed the opening reception, you can see the flickr page and documentation of the works here! The show will be on display through June 26th if you would like to stop by and view the life size photographs, hand bound zines, and intricate originals! You can also find all of the artwork and limited edition pieces on the Light Grey Shop!

Mark your calendars for the next opening on July 3rd! We have the opening reception of Patches + Stitches and artist talk by Teagan White. You can find all of the details on the facebook event page.

The Iceland Residency Exhibition opening was sponsored in part by Sewerd Co-Op and the Wedge Co-Op.

Skate Or Die Opening Reception Recap

Last Friday marked the opening reception for Skate Or Die! We want to give a giant thank you to the artists involved, and to everyone who visited the gallery and made the night a huge success!

Skate Or Die is a celebration of death and destruction, with 60 pieces of art displayed on hardwood skateboard decks. The presentation was jaw dropping, with a gallery absolutely packed with rows and rows of glossy skateboard decks adorned with amazing artwork.

Designs ranged from grim and creepy, to over-the-top absurd, to outright beautiful and visitors respond to each piece with appropriate laughter or contemplation. Longtime skateboarders, horror enthusiasts, and art lovers alike all shared the gallery with a common appreciation for the love and craft that went into the Skate or Die exhibition.

You can view more photos from the opening reception on our Skate Or Die Flickr set. You can buy one of these beautiful skateboard decks, or a gorgeous large-scale print, on the Light Grey Art Lab shop!

Once again, thanks again to all of the artists, collaborators, and supporters!

Dream Arcade Opening Reception Recap

Dream Arcade is out, and the opening reception was a huge success! Massive thanks to everyone who made it out to the gallery to play the game! It was a loud and boisterous event (just like any good arcade always is) filled with games, food, chiptunes, laughs and more games.

A small crowd had gathered at the door before the event, and as we opened the door, they flooded in and instantly took to the 27 Windows Surface Pro 2 tablets mounted around the walls of the gallery, each running one of the unique Dream Arcade levels. In addition, we had Dream Arcade projected on the back wall, playable with a full-size arcade stick for those brave enough to show off their platform skills to the crowd!

Despite the Light Grey team having been up for the previous 40 hours putting the final touches on Dream Arcade, the event was a lively blast of retro love and we were invigorated by the passion everyone brought to the opening!

You can view more photos from the opening reception on our Dream Arcade Flickr set. You can download the game from the Window Store right now, or play it online here!

Once again, thanks again to all of the artists, collaborators, and supporters!

Stacks Opening Reception - Recap

A huge thanks to everyone who made it out to see the Stacks opening reception! It was a wonderfully intimate evening of nostalgia, smiles, and introspection as visitors poured over each of the 60 zines featured in the gallery.

It's an amazingly intimate show to take in, as each zine represents a sneak peek into the lives and mind of the artist from their chosen year, as well as the opportunity to handle the physical, hand-made pieces created by the artists themselves. There was a sense of preciousness as each visitor gingerly picked up a new zine and started reading, head bowed and eyes darting back and forth taking it all in.

You can view more photos from the opening reception on our Light Grey Art Lab Flickr set, and you can buy a copy of the limited edition zines on the Light Grey shop! The participating artists each got a copy of every zine in the exhibition, so in total there are only 15 copies available of each to purchase. If there's one you want, grab it soon!

Once again, thanks again to all of the artists, collaborators, and supporters!

The Omnibus Treasury Opening Reception Recap!

A huge thanks to everyone who made it out to see the opening reception for the Omnibus Treasury! We had a wonderful evening with great company, artwork, and tons of adorable jewelry! Each of the jewelry collections was hung and displayed to share it's carefully made details, clever themes, and covetable designs!

The process of creating this jewelry involves a two-step collaboration. Each artist created an iconic collection of imagery, focusing on their chosen theme, and considering shape and form. These drawings were then sent to Light Grey Art Lab where Light Grey Art Lab founder, Lindsay Nohl, hand-makes each piece, transferring the artists' work to it's final physical state, and choosing complementary findings, chain and elements.

The designs include homages to infamous space satellites, summer fruits, København Culture, underwater creatures, and more! You can see some all of the collections on the Light Grey Shop and details on the Light Grey Flickr page. You can also view all of the works and artists on the Light Grey online Gallery.

Thanks again to all of the artists, collaborators, and supporters! This is a one-of-a kind project and we are proud to make these concepts a reality!