A pair of violinists playing classical tunes, a table laden with finger foods and soft drinks, and pillars covered in a mix of glittery dragon paintings, watercolor landscapes, crocheted octopi and other art. Combined, the music, snacks and artwork transformed Anythink Brighton library into a pop-up gallery, inviting kids hanging out after school and quiet bookworms to mix and mingle with local artists for maybe the first time.
The Feb. 6 show was the culmination of the library’s second Artist Portfolio Showcase and a way to involve the entire community in the creative process. The workshop series was a long-simmering idea of Aria Marco, an adult guide and educator at Anythink Libraries. The one-night pop-up gallery was the culmination of five weeks’ work by eight local artists who joined the Showcase series and completed portfolios of work under Marco’s tutelage.
“I wanted to give an opportunity to artists in the community to not only meet other artists and work together, but to have the opportunity to share their work with the public in a make-shift gallery setting,” Marco said.
Her dual interests in art and libraries entwined during her education at the Rhode Island School of Design. When Marco was a fine arts undergraduate student she worked in the college library as a book mender, rebinding popular items and crafting protective boxes for rare collections. The experience moved her to pursue two master’s degrees, one in art history and the other in library sciences.
In her year and a half at Anythink she’s organized classes in juggling, jewelry making and even chain mail construction. But the Artist Portfolio Showcase program is the first time she’s truly woven together her two passions.
“I’ve really always been hoping for a way to combine those two fields,” Marco said. “Art is such a pervasive cultural need, it’s such a great way to access history.”
Marco and Anythink held the first showcase last fall and it has evolved into a series of five weekly classes culminating in a gallery show at the library. Eight artists participated in the latest workshop. Any art-intrigued resident can join the free series, no matter their experience level.
Marco looks the part of an art teacher — big glasses, colorful leggings, printed scarf — and acts it, too, moving around the room during one evening workshop to check in with each student, demonstrating how to mix a shade of blue or finding the right kind of paper for acrylic paints. She projects patience and kindness. She demonstrates the answers to complex questions, such as showing a watercolor painter how to create more precise lines by taping off parts of her canvas.
“It’s always been really exciting to me to be part of the creative process,” she said. “I just love being able to see people explore and make that happen for them.”
In addition to adding the gallery showcase at the end of each workshop, Marco has further expanded the program by arranging for a professional to photograph each artist’s work to display online. She hopes future workshops will include a component in which students learn how to create their own websites.
On the final day of the winter workshop series in early February, the eight students spread across the room to work. The mood is light as participants swap jokes, supplies and encouragement when artist’s block hits.
Web designer Pawan Vora’s interest in art first emerged during an animation class he took during a family trip to Disneyland. He signed up for the first showcase workshop last fall on a whim, after seeing a poster advertising it at the library.
Vora applies the methodical nature of his computer science career to testing new mediums. In the first workshop, he set out to learn the basics of drawing with pencils. For the second workshop, he moved on to colored pencils. When the next session starts, he hopes to try ink and pen. Vora may even test watercolor pencils, though he said he doesn’t like how the free-spirited paints make it “look like my art is crying.”
“I’m a little bit anal,” Vora admits with a laugh.
But Vora’s precise approach to art doesn’t seem the same to him as writing code. Drawing is relaxing, he said. At night he’ll play music, uncork a bottle of wine and draw for hours. His favored subjects are a mix of still life, figure drawing and pop-culture figures such as BB-8 from Star Wars and Daenerys Targaryen from “Game of Thrones.”
Fellow student Liz Ryan, a retired math professor from AIMS Community College in Greeley, has slowly edged into art. She began painting in oils more than a decade ago and participates in storytelling events through the Spellbinders organization.
The Artist Portfolio Showcase is her latest art exploration and she’s learned to embrace her background in mathematics as she creates. After trial and error, she finally faced watercolors, where she struggled with the lack of control. She painted several pieces with a wash of reds, yellows and blues and then drew ruler-straight geometric shapes over the shades.
“I’m very analytical, I was trying to loosen up,” Ryan said. “I’m realizing it’s OK for me to be on that math side.”
Lorraine Anderson, a longtime crafter and librarian at Hulstrom Elementary School, poured over Pinterest boards for inspiration for her work in the series and brought her own seashells and supplies to class. She was inspired by her favorite animal, the octopus. Anderson crocheted an orange octopus and wrapped it around a gold, wooden “O” before sewing violet tentacles with button suction cups to crawl over a torn-out dictionary page that includes the definition for “octopus.”
She wasn’t sure what to expect, but has enjoyed how Marco allowed the students to explore art and their interests while fostering their individual abilities. Anderson is even considering starting a similar program with the art teachers at Hulstrom.
“It’s so important for libraries in particular to (try new things) in this day and age, when you can read at home on your computer,” she said. “It’s about fostering the community.”
That togetherness was clear on the night of the gallery show. Children and teens took a break from their computers to clap along to the music and point out their favorite pieces of art to friends. The artists seemed stunned at the attention.
“I was telling Aria, ‘I don’t know if we deserve all this,'” Vora said.
The success of the program’s debut show wasn’t lost on Marco. After Anderson greeted Marco with a hug and asked what she thought of the reception, Marco shook her head.
“I’m delighted, I’m speechless,” she said.