EVERETT – Showing art in Everett has never been easy, but for local artists, selling it has been even harder.
The city’s shortage of available gallery space is what inspired artist Lyussy Hyder to open Solovei, a new art gallery in the Everett Public Market building.
On Saturday, the gallery will host an opening reception featuring the work of three local artists.
One of Hyder’s goals for the gallery is to connect artists with local buyers, she said.
“Everyone goes shopping for art in Seattle or Tacoma,” she said. “But there are great, great artists in this area that are underrepresented.”
Part of that is due to area business owners’ reluctance to invest in spaces for showcasing art, she said.
“You can’t blame them,” Hyder said. “Here, it’s a path that goes through virgin forest. I hope my gallery will be a break in that wall.”
Artists in Everett often end up displaying their work on the walls of businesses and restaurants, which aren’t settings conducive to sales, said Lori Vonderhorst, whose work is featured in Solovei’s opening exhibition.
“I haven’t sold a lot of originals,” she said. “A lot of that is because I’ve only shown a few things here and there.”
For artists, the opportunity to show their work in a gallery is a critical step in achieving success, said Vonderhorst, who has been active in the area for the last 10 years.
About 60 artists expressed interest in having their work displayed at Solovei, Hyder said. From that pool, Hyder has scheduled monthly exhibitions through June 2007.
City government is aware of the challenges artists face finding local venues to display and sell their work, said Karen Shaw, economic development director for the City of Everett. That’s why in April, the city and the Arts Council of Snohomish County agreed to partner with Artspace Projects Inc. to build 40 artists lofts downtown on Hoyt Avenue beginning in 2008.
“We realize there is not enough gallery space here,” Shaw said. “Most any artist in the area will tell you that. We’re hoping one of the businesses that springs up around the project will be new galleries.”
Another ArtSpace project, the Tashiro Kaplan Artist Lofts near Seattle’s Pioneer Square, acted as a catalyst for that neighborhood’s economic and artistic development after its completion in 2004, Shaw said.
“We’re hoping the same effect happens here,” she said. “Art projects like Artspace are very much engines for development.”
Hyder said she hopes her gallery will fuel Everett’s artistic growth.
“(Artspace) is a huge event for Everett, but it is still somewhere in the future,” she said. “Now, we can start something.”
Reporter Melissa Santos: msantos@heraldnet.com.
Solovei Art Gallery
Location: 2804 Grand Ave., Everett
Hours: 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday
Grand opening: 4 to 8 p.m., Saturday.
Featuring: Paintings and mixed media by Lori Vonderhorst; basketry by Beth Preston; and oil paintings by Victor von Beck. Artists will be on hand to meet visitors and answer questions.
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