It’s a magical craft fort. With hip handcrafted goods from more than 100 artists and designers, Wholly Craft embodies imagination. And beginning this Friday, the Clintonville shop will feature a visual art space called “the wall gallery” that will be curated by local artist Stephanie Rond.

The wall gallery will feature a different Columbus artist each month. “We’re really excited to bring a gallery into the shop; it’ll add great energy to the space,” said Olivera Bratich, owner of Wholly Craft. “I’m not experienced in running a gallery or working with artists, so it seemed just out of reach. Then along comes Stephanie, who’s an amazing curator and all around great person. I know that our customers will really appreciate this element of the shop.”

Stephanie is a true pioneer when it comes to sharing and showcasing art. “I believe in creating art spaces where they didn’t previously exist,” she said. “Our goal with the wall gallery is for art and craft to complement and elevate each other. We want to give artists another venue to gain exposure for their work and offer Wholly Craft customers a taste of what community artists are creating.”

Accessibility will be a key feature of the wall gallery. “The art in the gallery will complement the aesthetic of the shop, which is pretty laid-back with a healthy dose of fun, humor, and charming beauty,” Olivera said. In addition to the large wall at the back of the shop, artists will build full window installations in one of Wholly Craft’s two bay windows. They’ll be given complete freedom with designing the installations.

The first wall gallery exhibit will be Carolyn Slebodnik’s I’m still bitter I didn’t get ‘most artistic’ in high school. The opening reception will take place this Friday evening from 6:00 to 9:00. Carolyn is a freshman at CCAD who describes her artwork as “incredibly emo, incredibly inappropriate, incredibly funny, and sometimes just incredibly confusing.” This will be her first solo exhibit. “The paintings in this show are all about me longing for the future,” she said. Her paintings will be on display through April 5.

Wine, beer, and snacks will be served at the opening reception. Artists who are interested in exhibiting at the gallery should email a resume and 10 images to whollycraftart@yahoo.com. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page, whollycraft.net, and whollycraft.blogspot.com.

Alexandra Kelley is a featured writer for Columbus Underground and can be reached at alexandra477.com.

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Related Tags: Alexandra Kelley • Art • artists • Clintonville • galleries • wholly craft

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