Galleries Galore

With more than 15 art galleries in the downtown area, literally thousands of works of art are waiting to be seen or purchased by connoisseurs, consumers, fans or the average Joe. \nThe Wandering Turtle Art Gallery, located at 224 N. College Ave., focuses on all things local. Ryan Dagley, general manager of the gallery, said it’s just as much a gift shop as an art gallery.\nMany of the works inside the shop are for sale. It showcases numerous paintings and three-dimensional sculptures, as well as jewelry.\n“Our pieces range in price from one of the more popular $200 framed watercolor pictures, or one of the more expensive pieces is about $10,000,” Dagley said.\nThe Wandering Turtle has been in business for five years. Dagley said the community has been supportive of the gallery and the shop has many loyal customers already.\nThe gallery’s winter hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9:45 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.\nThe By Hand Gallery, owned by nine artists, is also focused on selling local work. Manager Richard Hatch said 90 percent of the work in the gallery is produced in Southern Indiana. Located at 101 W. Kirkwood Ave., the By Hand Gallery has been operating for 32 years.\nIt has everything from small, handmade gifts to paintings, jewelry, fabric, pottery, glass, baskets and just about any other kind of crafty item imaginable. And every piece of it is for sale, Hatch said.\n“It’s not a ‘Oh, that’s pretty’ and walk out kind of gallery,” he said. “It’s a ‘come in and buy it’ gallery. Otherwise the artists would really be starving.”\nHatch said some of the most expensive pieces of art on display are some of the jewelry pieces, which are priced between $3,000 and $4,000. But, most of its pieces, he said, are between $35 and $100.\n“We don’t have any $10,000 pieces from an artist in New York here,” Hatch said jokingly. \nThe By Hand Gallery’s hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.\nThe John Waldron Arts Center, in existence since 1993, is an art gallery as well as a classroom, theater and performance space. It is located at 122 S. Walnut St.\n“Our mission is to promote the arts in a five-county area,” said Pamela Keech, executive director of the center. “(Our gallery) is a community gallery. People from wherever can send in their works and we’ll jury them.”\nMost of the artwork in the center’s art gallery is for sale unless the artists instruct otherwise. \nThe John Waldron Arts Center’s hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.\nOne of the older galleries in the area, The Prima Gallery, has been in business for 35 years. When it first opened, it was one of the only galleries in town, said Gallery Director Marcy Neiditz.\nShe said the gallery is traditional because it still hangs its art on the walls in the manner that older art galleries used to do.\nThe Prima Gallery, 109 E. Sixth St., has paintings, functional ceramics and jewelry, and like all the other galleries, all the artwork is for sale.\n“(Our price range) is huge,” Neiditz said. “If you were interested in buying an inexpensive coffee mug for $10, you could. We have paintings from $2,000 to $3,000. We have anything that’s affordable as a gift to great examples of expensive art.”\nThe artists on display are mainly local. Some of the art the gallery shows is from out of town, but comes from artists who attended IU at one point and still want their art shown in the gallery.\nNeiditz is proud of The Prima Gallery and takes pride in the art it shows.\n“I think we have a wonderful space that shows off our talent,” she said. “We have, I think, some of the best artists in Bloomington and some of their best work.”\nAll of these galleries can be toured on Bloomington’s Downtown Gallery Walks. These walks happen four times a year on the first Friday of April, July, October and December. The art galleries are all within walking distance of each other and all galleries will have a reception. The walks are completely free and open to the public.\nBut when chilly students are looking for something to do now, most of the galleries will warmly welcome any who choose to come visit.