It would be an understatement to say that the last few months have been abnormal. The pandemic, the isolation, the huge changes in our daily operations and routines, and the important and powerful changes rising in our city. March feels like an eternity ago, and all of us have learned the values of flexibility, adaptation, and change for the better -- we are hopeful and excited to see what is on the horizon.
Light Grey Art Lab will be opening back up to the public after months of closed doors. We have two very special projects in the works, the Isolation Exhibition by Kelsey King and the Light Grey Art Lab Fundraiser Sale. Join us during gallery hours July 17th- August 8th, as well as our online shop, to support local artists, consignors, and our own gallery as we navigate these tough times.
Recessions often hit those who are already struggling and deemed ‘non essential’ first, and there has been a huge strain on the creative community, individual artists, and those who are running their own businesses. Light Grey Art is hosting a fundraiser sale featuring published projects, donated art prints, postcards, zines, pins, patches, and originals. All of the funds from the sale go towards keeping the lights on as well as assuring that all of our events can remain free and open to the public. All items of the sale are under $20 and many are under a dollar. We are excited to open back up the doors and say hello.
Light Grey Art Lab has been a community arts organization in the Twin Cities for eight years and we’ve hosted countless fun exhibitions, projects, and workshops for people to get involved in. We have worked with thousands of illustrators, concept artists, children’s book illustrators, designers, and artists of all types to collaborate, exhibit, and discuss creative practice. In addition to physical projects, Light Grey Art Lab hosts travel programs, international art camps, visiting artist workshops, tarot classes, and more. We appreciate the support!
Isolation Exhibition is an ongoing series of landscape paintings created as a practice of reflection and self-care in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The series began as Kelsey King, along with the community, started to understand the severity of the outbreak and entered stay-at-home orders and remote teaching practices. This drastic change in environment, left Kelsey feeling detached and isolated from her personal, professional, and artistic community.
Kelsey King has created an acrylic painting every day since lockdown (March 15th) and has currently created over 120 original works. All of the paintings feature various landscapes such as local public land, Northern Minnesota and the Boundary Waters, MN State Parks, Norway, Iceland and other spaces.
“These paintings started as a daily routine that served to distract me from constant scrolling and news updates and focus my energy on something that brought me joy. They became, as days at home grew longer and the full scale of the magnitude of the crisis settled in, a form of reflection upon my experience with isolation. These landscapes- sometimes vast, sometimes intimate, but always empty with no signs of human life - are all moments in my life where I have turned to nature to find excitement, awe, and feel connected to the larger world around me. At these times, being isolated doesn’t feel like pulling away but a chance to appreciate connections in a different way than I do during times of normalcy.” - Kelsey King
Kelsey King is a freelance illustrator and educator located in St Paul, Minnesota. Her work often features animals, typography, pattern, and elements of the natural world with occasional touches of humor. For years she has focused on working digitally in a style focused on color, shape, and composition. In contrast her paintings often have a tighter reference to realism, though both styles tend toward solid strokes of solid color to suggest form and space. This project has been the first time she has focused on painting traditionally in almost a decade.
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Re- opening to the public.
The Isolation Exhibition and fundraiser sale will be on display from July 17th - August 8th, 2020.
Light Grey Art Lab will be reopening to the public starting Friday, July 17th with the opening of Isolation and the Light Grey Art Lab Fundraiser Sale. The exhibition prints and all fundraiser sale will be available in person as well as the online shop (shop.lightgreyartlab.com)
New Gallery Hours: Wednesday - Friday from 4-8pm, Saturdays 12-7pm, and Sundays 12-5pm.
SAFETY: Guests will be required to wear masks for the duration of their visit, limited capacity in the space, no food provided, restrooms are temporarily closed to the public. Light Grey Art Lab will continue to clean and keep the space as safe as possible.