Go ‘Big’ at Imago Gallery’s New Exhibit
“The Big Show” highlights work by seventy-seven local artists.
Dan Borden’s “Broadway Overpass” is one of the works in “The Big Show” at Imago Gallery through Jan. 30. Photo courtesy of Imago Gallery.
It’s been an especially gray, gloomy and raw winter. (When does spring start again? Asking for a friend.)
You can bring a little color into these leaden days by taking in “The Big Show” at Imago Gallery in Warren. With seventy-seven artists participating and 136 pieces of artwork, you’re sure to see something colorful and intriguing that will spark some joy this season.
The community exhibit features a little of everything: mixed media and oils, photography and sculpture, and two- and three-dimensional pieces. Some are emerging artists; some have been plying their craft for decades. Some are young, some are old. Some have never exhibited in “The Big Show”; some are repeat artists.
All are local and committed to sharing their art.
With this show, “we’re trying to place all our artists as equally creative and as wonderful contributors to our community,” says Imago artist Mary Dondero, who chairs the gallery’s exhibition committee. “If anything stands out, it’s just the sheer number of artists that are willing to participate and celebrate together as a group.”
“Winter Warmth,” by Robert Dec, is on display at “The Big Show” at Imago Gallery. Photo courtesy of Imago Gallery.
The gallery has held the show for two decades, inviting artists to show their works in the nonjuried production. It’s a show rooted in the gallery’s founding in 2003, when eight artists gathered to create a gallery run by artists for artists. The resulting Imago Foundation for the Arts is a nonprofit organization that runs the gallery, hosts exhibits and concerts, and hosts a college scholarship for high school students interested in pursuing a career in the arts.
“We’ve always had this notion of being a community, a place where local artists in the East Bay and beyond could look at as a resource,” says Linda Megathlin, an Imago artist and board president.
In lieu of rankings, artists receive cash awards in categories honoring artistic expression, “whimsy and wonder” and the spirit of creativity. All items are for sale, so if you see something you like, make an offer. It’s cash and carry, so you’ll have to — yes — bring cash, and tote it home with you.
Mark Wholey’s “Black & White Composition With Red Interruptions,” part of “The Big Show” at Imago Gallery. Photo courtesy of Imago Gallery.
Go for the inspo. Go for the sheer variety of artworks. Go for a sense of community sure to bring levity into these heavy winter days.
“The diversity of work is really interesting, and the diversity of the artists — generational, cultural backgrounds — it’s quite a gathering,” Dondero says. “It’s a big celebration and joy of what art can bring to a space.”
“The Big Show” runs through Jan. 30 at Imago Gallery, 36 Market St., Warren, imagofoundation4art.org. The gallery is open Thursday, noon–3 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, noon–6 p.m.; and Sunday, noon–4 p.m.
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