Art + Craft Extravaganza

FOCUS252, located at 6556 Caratoke Hwy in Grandy, will be hosting their first Art + Craft Extravaganza on Saturday, July 19, 2014 from 10:00am-6:00pm. “We are very excited,” stated Jason Letourneau, Owner of FOCUS252, “this gives the community a chance to view the raw talent we have and artists a chance to have their work seen, appreciated, and purchased!” The July Arts + Craft Extravaganza has the following dedicated artists at this time: Beaded Beauties; hand knit and strung beaded jewelry and hair accessories, Sara Baumer; repurposed including hand painting and distressed dishes, Ricki Ferrence; nature photographer, Simply Original Art by Ekert; beautifully painted canvases, serving trays, and wine glasses, Lane Meyers; original artwork and watercolor limited edition signed reproductions, and Denise Thomas; repurposed wine bottles and creative hand crafted décor. “We are all about our local community,” says Jason Letourneau, “as long as we offer the gift shop within our Photography Studio, this will be our inventory; hand selected, hand created, one of a kind items from local artists. There is nowhere else like this; you never know what the artist will create, or when it will be in stock, it makes for a constantly changing inventory of quality products direct from the artist at affordable prices!” FOCUS252 will accept applications for new artists to show during the Art + Craft Extravaganza through June 30, 2014; artists are to request an application via email at focus252photography@gmail.com and may read more about the event, including view the Facebook event, at www.facebook.com/focus252 or simply pick an application up in person. In the past, artists that desired to place their work within the gallery to sell at FOCUS252 were brought before a panel and selected appropriately. This has now changed, FOCUS252 will be allowing artists to show monthly on their grounds through the Art + Craft Extravaganza, at which point the jury will review each artist’s work and begin their selection. “The arts are something very close to my heart, everyone has a voice and for a great deal of people artwork is the means of communication. It allows us to speak to each other differently; we can convey our concept in a vague manor that is open to interpretation or through a more direct impact method. We have the talent in our area, we supply a place for these talented artists to reach their clientele, and it is our hope and end goal that we have the opportunity to become a safe haven for all aspiring and growing artists. Currently within our gallery, we have original art that is priced for every budget; customers have been able to purchase an original, direct from the artist, for as low at $16. That’s less expensive than most manufactured décor!”, says Jason Letourneau. Please join us for a day of celebration of our local talent, visit with the artists who have been preparing for this day for months, and enjoy the new location of our local Photography Studio, FOCUS252.