First Studio is a historic building in downtown Phoenix that was home to the first television studio in Arizona. Now, it is a space for artists and creatives to share their work.
The studio hosts art receptions on First Fridays, each with different themes showcasing work from artists across the Valley. April's showcase was called "Confluence" and included work from a team of curators as well as visiting artists.
Shows typically stay in the gallery for two months.
Head curator Kristine Kollasch said the showcases are about providing access to artists, helping get their work seen.
"We're not that worried about selling their work," Kollasch said. "We want to, and that's great if they do, but it's also a way for us to build up the arts community."
In the past, First Studio Gallery has hosted receptions with a variety of themes. Some of these shows include "A Show of Resistance," "The Art of Science" and "Animal Menagerie."
"Maybe it's about war, maybe it's about peace or maybe it's just things we feel would be fun," Kollasch said on the topic of choosing these themes.
To find artists for these showcases, there is typically a mass notice sent to artists in Arizona; other times, artists are specifically invited or walk into the studio looking for ways to get involved.
Each of the curators at the gallery creates works for these shows inspired by the themes. Once or twice a year, the gallery showcases solo work from one of the curators. Currently, co-curator Tess Mosko Scherer is showing her work in the space.
This exhibit is "The Space Between: thresholds of time and becoming" and features pieces made of materials like wood, handmade paper and Irish linen thread.
These pieces are inspired by Mosko Scherer's own journey in life as well as the current state of the United States, both of which she feels are "in between" and not going to stay as they currently are.
The April showcase also included the work of Harold Lohner, titled "Stop this day and night with me."
This work is an installation of mono prints on fabric fashioned into a tent. When the viewer steps inside the tent and shines a flashlight on the walls, they reveal hidden prints and patterns.
"It started with a piece of fabric," said Lohner, who has worked with printmaking for over 30 years. "I printed on it, and I realized you could see the image from one side and not the other."
Lohner studied printmaking during his time at the University at Albany. Here, he said there was a tendency for things to be made small and only in black and white. After graduation, he said he wanted to challenge himself and move away from this.
The prints inside the tent are meant to juxtapose everyday objects with art history to create a contemplative environment, calling back to the overall theme of the reception.
Sometimes, for these events, the gallery collaborates with a nonprofit such as the Arizona Art Alliance, which is directed by Mosko Scherer. This nonprofit services other arts organizations, hosting showcases, marketing on their behalf and doing community outreach.
Mosko Scherer said most of her work for the Arizona Art Alliance can be done at home, so she appreciates the space that the gallery has created to get her moving.
Along with Mosko Scherer, the First Studio Gallery has created a space where artists can connect with and encourage each other.
"It's just nice to have people who you can talk art with, and your own artistic journey, and support each other and propel each other forward," Mosko Scherer said. "People might be at different stages, but that's OK, so as long as you've got that propellent."
Edited by Jack McCarthy, Senna James and Pippa Fung.
Reach the reporter at cabeery1@asu.edu
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