Join your friends and neighbors in historic downtown Wake Forest Friday night, June 12, for the monthly Art After Hours when shops and studios are open until 9 p.m. and many feature artist receptions, special exhibits, refreshments, music and sales.
The sponsor, Wake Forest Downtown, also provides free horse and carriage rides up and down South White Street. In the summer, musicians often perform on the street and on porches for Art After Hours, and studios leave their doors open to allow the music within entertain people in the street.
Owner Beth Massey will welcome glass artist Melanie Stoer to the Wake Forest Art & Frame Shop with refreshments and a reception. Stoer, who began working with glass in 2001, now lives in Raleigh and has her own business, Melsie Galss. Her work has been widely exhibited in Raleigh. “While much of my work is inspired by world travel and my love of water and the tropics, I regularly stumble on new design ideas through the musings of my everyday life. It is always a fun challenge to figure out how to express new ideas in vibrantly colored, functional glass art. More than a decade after my first glass class, watching light dance across glass still amazes me, and draws me back to the studio.”
While at the shop, note the new hours. It is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and closed Sunday.
Two very different artists are featured this month at Sunflower Studio & Gallery. Mary Greene makes hand-crafted paper creations and Victoria Power is a photograph who produces abstract photos. The reception Friday night will run from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunflower Studio also has seven resident artists who will be showing their works: pottery, jewelry, fabric art, and painting in oils, acrylic and watercolor. The gallery is open Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
At Next Consignment Boutique owner Pam Jay is again featuring local musical talent. Jay wrote, “Kristi Dixon is a refreshing breath of summer and her voice and guitar style will keep you mesmerized. Kristi says that in her 18 years of life, she has learned that singing is what she was meant to do. She is always singing! The most joy she has ever had in her life has been onstage. In her own words, ‘When you look at someone in the crowd, and you know they enjoy listening to you, it’s like Heaven.’ She says that in life, you can never really be sure of some things, however, this is one of the things that she knows she will always love. ‘Just hand me my acoustic guitar, maybe a pen and some paper; I’m set for life.’ Check out her website if you get a chance at www.KristiDixon.com. Refreshments will be served.”
There will be art and music at The Cotton Company in the downstairs gallery where abstract artist Justin Helms will be featured this month and musicians Peggy and Doug Kobs will be playing jazz, pop and blues. Helms has a fine arts degree from Appalachian State and recently graduated from the Art Institute of Durham. Hayes and Kob have performed in other Triangle venues but this is their first time at The Cotton Company. There will be refreshments and wine samples.
The guest artist in June for The Artist Loft& Gallery at Wake Forest Coffee will be Sid Clark, a fourth-generation tradesman who, although “retired,” loves to work with his hands in plastering and design. Now he produces “mostly functional” artwork that usually involve mirrors, plaster or tile and often reflect the landscapes he remembers from his childhood. The Loft & Gallery is above Wake Forest Coffee Company.
