Judy Rosella Edwards

Do you hate plastic bags? So…what are you doing about it?

You use cloth totes instead of plastic bags. You skip the bag altogether, whenever you can.

But don’t you wish you could make a bigger statement?

Tim Beeney, of Industrial Fibers, invites you to help him make a very tangible statement about how you really feel. Monday, September 26, from 5:00 p.m. to  11:30 p.m. you, too, can pitch in to help Beeney quilt the world’s largest plastic bag quilt.  This precursor to next spring’s Earth Day is designed to raise awareness locally and globally about the offense of plastic bags.

Between now and Earth Day, you can pitch in—plastic bags, or sweat equity, or both—toward making this statement. The quilt is already about 12’ x 9’ and more hands are needed to help make a larger statement.

And, what is a quilting bee without a Hootenanny? Okay, I have no idea. But, while you quilt, you’ll be serenaded by guest musicians Derrick Hart, Coyote Sings, Gavra (a/k/a Gavra Lynn, Art Show gallery owner), J.D. Greving, Justin Glawe, and Shannon Moore.

The whole event takes place inside the gallery. If you have ever fantasized about being a resident artist, this is your chance!

Come out and express yourself—and make a historic statement.

Can’t make it this Monday? You’re not off the hook. Beeney will be quilting from now until Earth Day. So, now you have no excuse not to make your voice heard.

Art show is located at 331 Fulton Street, Suite 100 (across from the Civic Center on Jefferson Street). For more information contact Gallery Curator Gavra Lynn at (256)613-7745 of by emailing gavralynn@gmail.com.

A new energy has come to Peoria. There’s no denying it. If you haven’t experienced it, then you clearly have not been to Art Show. The brainchild of Gavra Lynn, Art Show is truly multimedia. Whether Gavra intended for it to happen or not, there has been an evolution of sound and film amid the wall art in this truly unique working gallery. The latest happening is Christember.

This month, Art Show is playing host to Christember, an extravaganza created by resident artist Christopher Robin Keller, who is making the gallery his studio this month. A young artist with an enviable energy, Christopher Robin Keller—I had to ask and, yes, that is his legal name— has brought to Art Show his tradition of marrying music with art, including public art production.

Peorians may find “karaoke painting” a revolutionary new concept. For Christopher Robin, it has become a tradition. The concept dates back ten years when a musician friend was looking for something “weird,” according to Keller. Audience members were given three pieces of paper, each.  On one they wrote a name, on a second slip they wrote a color, and on the third piece of paper they jotted down a subject. Keller picked 3 slips of paper and, from what audience members had written, he created a work of art on site while the band played and the audience watched.

He has continued the tradition during Live Art on the Peoria riverfront and at other area venues. Now, during Christember, he continues painting while the band plays on. The band, in this case, changes all Christember long (September 1 through September 30). Tomorrow night, Friday, September 23, the gallery owner/artist/musician in her own right, Gavra Lynn will step up to the microphone.

Christember

Perhaps there has never been a harder working artist than Keller. Christember was not only his idea, but he is the powerhouse who booked the bands, performs during scheduled events and continues to paint during the day while serving as host to gallery visitors.

“We’re a part of the CIAO art walk,” Keller pointed out. “That helps bring in traffic as well.”

While I was interviewing Keller, there was a steady flow of friends and gallery visitors popping in and out.

“Art Show is a real benefit for local artists,” Keller added. He especially appreciates gallery owner, Gavra Lynn, for creating a place for new or struggling artists who don’t have slides of their work or can’t afford the entrance fees charged by other local outlets. Exhibiting at Art Show has helped Keller expand his audience.

One man, who was in town for a conference at Caterpillar, saw Keller’s work and commissioned a work. He has another commissioned work nearly finished and on display in his studio space at Art Show.

Share the Art

Keller has a penchant for giving away his work to friends, or to local businesses in exchange for essentials in life. He also raffles off his work to raise money for pet shelters. His grandmother is a volunteer at TAPS in Pekin and Keller completed the volunteer training before realizing he really didn’t have the time to spare loving the animals he adores so much. His solution is to use his art to raise money for animals.

Beyond Christember

When a friend of Keller’s went off to New York to earn his doctorate at the New School, Keller tagged along. A collection of his work, stored in New York, will eventually arrive in Peoria, to be seen for the very
first time.

But, until the end of the month, stop by Art Show on Jefferson Street, directly across from the Peoria Civic Center on Friday or Saturday night and get your Christember on.

Art show is located at 331 Fulton Street, Suite 100 (across from the Civic Center on Jefferson Street). For more information contact Gallery Curator Gavra Lynn at (256)613-7745 of by emailing gavralynn@gmail.com. You can contact the artist, Christopher Robin Keller, at tfwosprewell80@gmail.com. Admission is a $5 donation for scheduled events and is split between the artists and the gallery, to defray utility costs, etc.

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