New Downtown Farmington Art Gallery Celebrates Grand Opening Friday

A new downtown Farmington art gallery that quietly launched just days before Art on the Grand in early June will celebrate a grand opening Friday, from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., with refreshments and snacks. 

The public is invited to the small space just inside the main entrance of the Village Mall in the southeast corner of Farmington Road and Grand River, where works by 11 Farmington Art Foundation members are on display and offered for sale. 

"This all came about accidentally," said Foundation member Kathleen Rodak of Farmington Hills. The group's tent was too large for Art on the Grand, so "we started looking for open retail space." 

Long-time Farmington area Realtor David Cornwell gave the group a discounted rate to open up June through August, Rodak said. To remain open, the Foundation will need 20 artists, each displaying three works, on a regular basis.

The gallery is a cooperative venture; Foundation members pay a monthly fee and commit to working there for a certain number of hours in order to display their works. 

Foundation member Pat Langner of West Bloomfield said the group has been looking for space because it is difficult to find locations where art work can be displayed. The Farmington Community Library Farmington branch, Mentobe Café in Farmington and Picasso Café in Novi have all hosted Foundation works, but space is limited to one or two artists. 

Langner said she has sold more than 9,000 paintings since 1991 and did 12-14 arts shows a year before a health issue forced her to slow down. But a lagging economy has also made it difficult for her and other artists to sell their work.

"I've sold half of what I did in previous years," Langner said. 

Artists hope the gallery will give their work more exposure, which will lead to increased sales. 

The gallery will be open Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and plans extended hours during the Downtown Farmington Founders Festival July 19 and 20. 

The Farmington Art Foundation received the Farmington Area Arts Commission's  2013 Distinguished Service to the Arts award, largely due to its long-time program for placing art works in schools and providing art classes for Farmington area senior citizens at the Costick Center in Farmington Hills, Foundation member Linda Shewbridge said.

The group is open to artists of any level and meets September through May at the Farmington Community Library Main Library in Farmington Hills. For information, visit farmingtonartfoundation.org.