Washington gallery hosts 85 artists
STORY AND PHOTOS by Jim mcCarty
The area around Washington, Missouri, has long been a hotbed of artistic creation. Artists representing every medium could be found at the frequent festivals the town held to promote their work.
One of these artists is a prolific painter named Jim Peters. For many years the artist, whose nostalgic paintings are made with water and other liquids, has been a fan of patrons who love his timeless works. But finding a Jim Peters print was difficult for a simple reason: Jim greatly preferred creating new works over selling his creations. You could only find his art at shows or the state fair where for 11 years he painted barns with the Rural Missouri logo as one of the “People from Our Pages.”
In response his daughter, JoAnn McCoy, did what any loving child would do for an artistic father. She opened a gallery of his work in a house located next to the family sign business. That gallery served well until JoAnn retired as president of the sign company five years ago. She began looking for a more suitable location for a gallery that would show off the work of her father and other Washington-area artists.
In the city’s historical downtown, she found the perfect place in a former women’s clothing store. Room for Art Gallery opened in its new location in March 2021 with 15 artists sharing its space. Over time, walls were knocked down, the former dressing rooms were converted into artist spaces and every square inch of the large building was devoted to new artists who joined the gallery.
Today, you can find the work of 85 artists, ranging from traditional watercolor and oil painters to those who work in fabric, metal, glass and all of the above. There’s only one requirement: they have to live in Missouri. Most of the artists live within an hour of Washington.
“If you can’t find it here, it doesn’t exist,” JoAnn says. “Every week new items come in. They’re constantly using their talent and creating and so it’s fun to see what they bring in that’s new.”
Every Saturday two of the artists take turns demonstrating their work. Some give lessons while others help work the busy checkout counter.
“I was told, ‘You need to have someone else work at the counter and you need to be the tour guide,’ ” JoAnn says. “Because I know all the artists here. I know their personality and their style and that keeps it interesting.”
That’s not surprising as the artists she represents were handpicked by JoAnn, a creative type herself. “I was voted most creative in high school and I started doing a lot of painting and lettering at the sign shop. Some people will call me a makeup artist because I became a director in Mary Kay. That’s taught me people skills and the love of working with people and finding things that bring them joy.”
The gallery name represents her belief that art is the key to happiness. “Everyone has room for art,” JoAnn says. “If they say their walls are full, they need to rotate and change. The least expensive way to redecorate and give your home a new look is to rearrange the art, change it or get a new piece. It brings fresh sunshine to the walls.”
When the gallery opened, the artists all signed a lease agreement, planning to test the waters. “It was a 10-month trial of a lease just to see if it was a go,” JoAnn says. “The community has shown great support, and I think they’re more educated now on what it means to buy something locally made. These artists put their heart and soul into it. To give it as a gift, or to have that piece in your home, means so much more than something made in a factory.”
A Town that Values Art
Woodblock artist Patrick Murphy grew so fond of the community’s support that he left St. Louis and moved to the east-central Missouri town.
“I think that when you’ve got an art gallery like this on your Main Street, right in the center of your business district, it says something about the community in general,” Patrick says. “It’s a community that values art, and with the huge representation of artists you’ve got here it’s like a wonderful focal point for the community.”
Patrick’s art is created by carving designs into a block of wood, then using the wood block to stamp the design on paper. “It’s an old thing that’s kind of come back,” he says. “If you look at the turn of the century, 1900, you’ll see it in illustrations and books a lot.”
His art is typical of the unusual pieces in the gallery. For example, one recent demonstrator, James Bolte, creates his art with a woodburning pen. He started creating pyrography on wood, but switched to paper — no easy transition. He creates beautiful monochrome nature pieces with tiny burn marks, taking great care not to burn through the paper.
“I always did wood rounds and wood plaques,” he says. “I was selling those for a while, and then people wanted them framed. You don’t want to frame something like that. So, I thought watercolor paper is essentially wood.”
Many of the artists work with recycled materials, turning other’s trash into new treasures. Linda Sachs, for example, does colorful embroidery and works with dyed wool. As a retired teacher, she enjoys taking children’s art and making it into embroidered patches for parents.
Linda loves demonstrating her art at the gallery. “You just see the excitement of people coming in and buying something special for somebody that’s unique, handmade,” she says. “I kind of fall in love with pieces that I make, and then I have trouble trying to sell them. But somebody else is going to get the same joy out of what I’m making. You do this little happy dance when you sell something, because somebody I don’t even know likes what I’ve made.”
Within the gallery’s walls are sculptures in a variety of materials, hand-forged ironwork, ukuleles crafted from cigar boxes, gourd art, glass art, pottery, jewelry, artistic furniture, woodcraft, wearable art and much more. JoAnn also helps inspire the next generation of artists by displaying art from local schools. A recent exhibit featured art made by adults with disabilities.
Working at the gallery, she sees people get excited over a painting of a barn that looks like one their grandpa had, or perhaps cows in a field kindle a special memory for them. “They are relating to something about the art that is touching their heart and bringing joy to their life. That warms my heart, and it’s been a blessing to have all of this talent under one roof.”
Room for Art Gallery is located at 124 W. Main St. in Washington. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday and by appointment. Contact the gallery at 636-259-1119 or on Facebook.
Email Jim McCarty at jmccarty@ruralmissouri.coop.