GALLERY 81435 OPEN THRU DECEMBER

18 Dec GALLERY 81435 OPEN THRU DECEMBER

A showcase of local arts and crafts for last-minute holiday treasures

Christmas is bearing down upon us. ‘Tis the season for loopy rounds of office parties, lots and lots of face time with family and friends, lots, and eggnog hangovers. And it’s down to the 11th hour in the hunt for The Perfect Gift, not  an emotional lump of coal. Yikes.

But it just so happens, Telluride Inside…and Out has an answer to shopper’s block and sticker shock: Telluride Arts’s Gallery 81435.

Gallery 81435 is located at 230 South Fir Street in the brand new building across the street from the Stronghouse Studios, just down from Baked in Telluride. This gorgeous, light-filled space is stocked for the month of December with fine arts and crafts made by regional artists. On exhibit currently are paintings by Meredith Nemirov, Elaine Fischer, Michelle Ray, Marishi. and Jared David Paul. In addition to the paintings, gift ideas include totes and reusable, re-purposed bags, silk dyed scarves, handmade knit and sewn hats and caps, hand-dyed silk, artisan knits and felted scarves, silver, gold and gemstone jewelry, stationery and holiday cards, items for pets and babies, even Telluride Truffles, everything that was available earlier in the month at Telluride Arts’s Holiday Bazaar. If you missed the Bazaar, head to Gallery 81435.

Patty Denny, founder, Telluride Truffles, sums up:

“It is very interesting to visit the place of your birth, well sort of birth. This year, I once again participated in the Telluride Holiday Bazaar where I began selling my chocolates 14 years ago.  In those first years, I sold them in little white boxes with red ribbons. Just testing the waters to see if I could actually make a business out of it. The reception was encouraging, so I persevered. This year, as I surveyed the room at the Bazaar, I was overwhelmed by the talent in this community. Such amazing creativity. Beautiful, useful and smartly priced items. And many success stories of businesses growing! I am always so proud to be a member of this group of artisans.  If you missed the Bazaar this year, you are in luck.  Through December, Telluride Arts has an “After the Bazaar” gallery open for business for gifts from the heart.”

Gallery 81435 was made possible through a generous donation by an arts benefactor, who shares Telluride Arts’s desire to support the continuum of art making and appreciation in Telluride. A space for local artist to exhibit and sell their work is a critical component to a vital local creative culture.

‘We watched Ray Messier’s building go up over the course of the year and became enamored. The place is gorgeous, very thoughtfully designed and beautifully built. We spent a lot of time on the same block and became friends. And to our very sincere delight , Ray became the newest board member of Telluride Arts. The retail space was finished days before we moved in and Ray generously donated it for Gallery 81435: Authentic Local Art, through the end of the month,” explained Kate Jones, executive director, Telluride Arts.

Gallery 81435 is part of Telluride Arts’s mission to support art at its source and implement strategies that ensure that artists in the Telluride region have the resources for artists to live and work.

(Note: The photograph is by local Scott Rhea)