A co-op of artists operate their own gallery in the Bullen Center

Co-op member, Sabine Barcatta, makes sure all of the art in the gallery is presentable for guest walking through it. She collects pieces for her necklaces and bracelets, then fashions them into wearable art.

The Artists’ Gallery in the Bullen Center in Logan, located at 43 S. Main, is a place where a co-op of some 20 passionate fine artists show and sell their work year round.

Co-op member, Sabine Barcatta, shows some of the jewelry she made and is on display at the Artists’ Gallery.

It looks like a tiny office space with artwork on a couple of walls and some work displayed on shelves. The real treat is the small gallery through the back of the office that displays 70 percent more art.

The work is produced by painters, watercolor artists, ceramicists, fiber artists, glass artists, polymer clay artists, jewelers, photographers, and a woodworker.

Kristi South, a sculptor and potter, is the chairman of the board for the organization. She said a co-op is an interesting thing, it’s kind of magical.

Being in a co-op is not as easy as it may sound. It takes a lot of willingness from all of the individuals involved,” South said. “It’s a rarity to have one go as long as this one has, it takes energy and effort.”

As chairman, South coordinates their efforts with the Bullen Center.

“We talk about marketing strategy; make sure everything is running smoothly,” she said. “We talk about who we might want for a featured artist.”

She said they are lucky; the Bullen Center folks are such good people to work with.

Artist Ktisti South works on a mug with a face she created Monday in the he home studio. South is chairman of the co-op of artists that have their work on a display at the Bullen Center.

“They support us in a lot of ways with marketing and Facebook, so we give to each other,” South said. “We have art scholarships that go to education, to the art classes at the Bullen Center.”

“It will be five years in October since we have been organized,” South said. “Five years is long time. We’re lucky to have it going this long.”

South’s unique vessels adorned with faces can be found in the gallery. The faces on her pieces give them a personality.

Her ceramics career began when enrolled in a ceramics class at Utah State University in the early 90’s.

Kristi South a sculptor and potter adds a face on a ceramic mug she is making. Her work is on display at the Artists’ Gallery in Logan.

“I took a break from school to raise children, and the last six years years I started again.”

The faces appear on oversized jugs, pots, planters and ceramic Udu’s, or Nigerian ceramic musical instruments.

“I work at it four hours a day for about 30 hours a week,” she said. “I needed a plant pot in 1989 and that was my first face pot.”

South said artists like her put their work on display so people can enjoy it, it’s not all about selling the piece.

Another co-op member, Sabine Barcatta, is a jewelry maker. She collects pieces for her necklaces and bracelets from all over the world, then fashions them into wearable art.

The Artists’ Gallery has work is produced by painters, watercolor artists, ceramicists, fiber artists, glass artists, polymer clay artists, jewelers, photographers, and a woodworker.

“We are not all full-time artists,” she said. “Most of us are from Cache Valley, and many of us have booths in Summer Fest, but we still rotate artwork in and out of the Artist’s Gallery.”

During the summer, when there are a lot of visitors downtown, the foot traffic is pretty good. The co-op sells a little more work in the warmer weather.

“A lot of people don’t know we are here,” Baracatta said. “We have people poke their heads in and think they have to pay or buy something.”

The Artist’s Gallery participates in the Gallery Walks, the summer sidewalk sale, the winter gift market, and occasionally organizes their own events.

Daniel Bialkowski loads the kiln behind him to fire the many pieces created by other artists at the Bullen Center. Bialkowski is one of the artists who has a display in Artists’ Gallery in Logan.

“We would love to be more integrated into downtown Logan’s businesses and its art scene,” Sabine said.  “We are accepting applications for artist membership. We are especially looking for quality artwork in media currently not well represented in the gallery.”

The Artists’ Gallery is open Wednesday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. and Saturday from 12-5 p.m.

 

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