Before she opens Art Ventures Gallery in downtown Menlo Park, owner Katharina Powers is converting the walls of the gallery into artwork, and she has invited the public to watch it happen.
From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10, through Thursday, Jan. 12, a total of 10 Bay Area street artists and muralists are painting two canvases and an 8-by-10-foot stretch of an interior wall at the gallery, located at 888 Santa Cruz Ave. Their task? To create art reflecting a one-word theme: provoke.
The canvases will later be for sale.
Listed artists are: Chor Boogie, Eddie Colla, Cannon Dill, Brett Flanigan, Amanda Lynn, Mario Sanchez, Bud Snow, Jim Seibold, Lynnea Holland-Weiss and Nina Wright. These aren’t necessary the real names of the artists, Ms. Powers said. Street artists often go by pseudonyms, she said.
A native of Germany, Ms. Powers said the gallery will display the work of European and California artists, usually one artist at a time.
She operates an artist-in-residence program in Napa, where she provides housing for 80 days, mainly for artists who reside outside the United States. The gallery will display those creations.
She said she has lined up several European artists for the gallery, including those from Bulgaria, Poland and Italy.
Going to art galleries when she lived in Europe was an important ritual to help her become calm when she was stressed out, she said. In fast-paced Silicon Valley, she said, she hopes to provide locals with an outlet for finding that same sense of calm.
The gallery will officially open on Wednesday, Feb. 1, with an exhibition by Paton Miller. There will be a reception held at the gallery from 5 to 7 p.m.
Go to artventuresgallery.com for more information.
