NAC Gallery seeks art from local women…by Saturday

The nonprofit Northern Arts Council Gallery in Ferguson features a diverse array of affordable and unique art by dozens of talented local artists.

Right after Christmas in 2004, I got an intriguing phone call. A local investor had just purchased one of the old Universal Match buildings in Ferguson, and if I could help fill it with artists’ studios, he told me I could “have” the building for free. The catch was that I would need to start a nonprofit arts council, and being eager and naive, I did just that. But of course, like most things that seem too good to be true, the building deal never had a chance.

What it did do, however, was reveal an incredible variety of North County artists who were all itching to connect. As word got out about the newly created Northside Arts Council (which would later become the Northern Arts Council, or NAC), artists of all kinds starting pouring out of the woodwork – from UMSL, St. Louis Community College, really all over North County.

A small group of us spent months hashing out the details of our new organization, gradually holding successful events and reaching out to new members, but there was one big goal that everyone shared: to have our own community art gallery, similar to the old North Gallery that used to operate in Ferguson.

Over time, I ended up stepping down from the NAC board, but amazing women like Linda Mosley, Dana Sebastian-Duncan, Heidi Lung, Joyce Pion and Gwen Weatherbie pressed on, raising NAC’s profile and playing a very active role in the community. (If you’ve seen “hands-on art activities” at the Ferguson Farmers Market or Florissant Fall Festival, it was probably the Northern Arts Council.)

So it’s late 2006…everyone at NAC still wants a gallery, I’m working as director of Ferguson’s downtown business district, and just down the road, UMSL is desperately hunting for new studio space for its fine arts faculty. Long story short, thanks to a hard-won collaborative effort between the city, the district, the arts council and the university, not to mention the awesome talent and generosity of “contractor” Joe Lonero, the NAC Gallery became a reality less than six months later.

Located in what was once the Ferguson Department Store, it now occupies around 600 square feet and shares the building with 11 studios designed and built specifically for UMSL’s fine arts faculty. NAC sells work by dozens of local artists and frequently uses the gallery to host exhibits, artist gatherings and live music. I know I’m biased, but I think this place is one of our finest community assets!

If you haven’t been to the NAC Gallery yet, definitely go! From March 28 through April 24, NAC is joining with Plowsharing Crafts, St. Louis Community College at Flo Valley, and the St. Louis Chapter of the Women’s Caucus for Art to host We All Relate: Celebrating Local and Global Connections, an exhibit celebrating women’s history month.

In fact, if you act quickly, NAC is still accepting entries for this show…but you have to be a female artist living within 30 miles of St. Louis and you must drop off your work by Saturday, March 20. If you’re interested, you can get more info here. NAC is also currently accepting proposals from performers and artists willing to demonstrate their craft at community events.

And don’t worry, even if you aren’t an artist, there’s still plenty of reason to support this great local nonprofit. If you’re looking to meet some fun, creative NoCo residents and shop for beautiful, affordable artwork, NAC definitely delivers! The NAC Gallery is located at 27 S. Florissant Rd, 63135, and is open Saturdays 9:30am-1pm, or by appointment.

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