October 4, 2018 – In the heart of Grass Valley, you will find Ellu Gallery, an artists’ collective that opened its doors last year. A fine art gallery hosting local artists from the Nevada County area, founder and creator Ryan McVay has, in a short amount of time, formed a micro-culture around the idea that “Life is Art.” He and his fellow artists are bringing people together through art, music, unique events & community engagement. They inspire & connect visitors with a range of artistic styles, including Zen Surrealism, Expressionism and Abstract works.
Ellu Gallery is one expression of the vibrant art culture that is so important to Nevada County. With a colorful, open space representative of the area’s diverse artistic community, Ellu Gallery is the ideal location to host the preview exhibition for this year’s Fall Colors Open Studios and Art Tour. Produced by The Center for the Arts, the Open Studios tour takes visitors on an inspiring journey through Western Nevada County where people of all ages are given the opportunity to “enter the world of a visual artist to experience how, why and where art is created.”
The Center for the Arts has organized over 200 artists at 54 locations on a self-guided tour that will take place October 13, 14, 20, & 21 throughout Nevada City and Grass Valley. They have also printed 4,000 free copies of the tour guide to make it accessible for art lovers to explore the creativity and process of the artists that call Gold Country home.
Brynn Farwell, who produces the event for The Center for the Arts, says it is nearly impossible to see every artist in the two weekends of the tour. To help visitors navigate, all 54 studios on the tour will be exhibiting a piece of art at Ellu Gallery for the month of October. This will introduce participants to the broad range of artworks represented, and allow them to decide which studios they simply can’t miss!
Nevada County is home to a large concentration of artists of all mediums, many of which are internationally renowned. Farwell says the tour’s purpose is to highlight the important role of the arts within the county’s culture and community. She hopes that visitors will gain a “deeper understanding and connection to the art in Nevada County.”
“It’s a pretty unusual experience to see the art from start to finish, how creativity comes to fruition and…to be able to connect with artists on such an intimate and personal level,” she says.
With a shared vision to spread awareness of the necessity of art in today’s culture, Ellu Gallery and The Center for the Arts are perfect partners in hosting the preview for Open Studios. They invite you to help them kick off the tour at the Open House Preview on October 11, from 6-8:30 pm. Ellu Gallery will host a night of live music, fine art, delicious food and the meaningful opportunity to meet local artists and learn about their work.
More information at www.openstudiostour.org or by emailing openstudios@thecenterforthearts.org