The MonOrchid has a ball for Art Detour 25!

Feb. 13, 2013 - PRLog -- Art Detour 25 will take place the first weekend of March 2013 and the monOrchid wants to help make this the biggest and best Art Detour event ever, by paying homage to the past, present, and future of the downtown arts community with a landmark exhibition "25 Years Downtown."  Every March downtown Phoenix comes alive with artists and art lovers for a whole weekend sponsored by ArtLink—open studios, gallery events, performances—anything goes.  Wayne Rainey, owner of the monOrchid and a veteran in the downtown Phoenix arts community wants this year to be special.  He states, “First Fridays and Art Detour have always been about bringing people together to enjoy the art and culture of our city, this year is a once in a lifetime opportunity to celebrate 25 years of success by all of the galleries and artists who made this what it is today.”
    The monOrchid curator Justin Germain views Art Detour 25 as a time to explore the history, celebrate the artists, and share it all with visitors, which includes long time art lovers familiar with the Phoenix scene and newcomers.  “Phoenix has evolved more than ever in the last few years, the presence of ASU downtown has brought a new demographic to the area and expanded the exposure of the city’s artists.  This will be a walk down memory lane for some and an introduction for others.”
    "25 Years Downtown" is not a comprehensive retrospective, it was conceived as an invitational exhibition with as much inclusion as possible.  The curator relied on the support of the Phoenix arts community to identify significant artists to invite in the spirit of inclusiveness.  This exhibition is more about the stories that the participating artists include, used to provide context to the work displayed.  Some artists chose to represent their experience in the work itself, others added written experiences.  Mr. Rainey and Mr. Germain chose to explore the history of downtown Phoenix art and celebrate the diversity of the arts downtown through the experiences of the artists.  The result is an eclectic mix of veteran Phoenix artists such as Irma Sanchez, Wayne Rainey, and Pete Petrisko, and the new(er) school artists Daniel Funkhouser, Lara Plecas, and Bill Dambrova that are making waves and will continue to take the arts downtown to the next level.  Approximately 60 of our local artists will be included in the exhibition.
    The exhibition "25 Years Downtown" will be on display at monOrchid during the month of March including Art Detour (March 1-3) and Third Friday.  The monOrchid Arts’ Ball will be held Saturday March 2nd to celebrate with the artists and guests, including an auction of much of the artwork in the exhibition.  For more information please contact the Art Program Director Justin Germain at art@monorchid.com or 480 650 9116.  
    Located at 214 E Roosevelt St, in the heart of the arts district in downtown Phoenix, the monOrchid building offers space for events, weddings, photo/video production, art exhibits, and small businesses. The monOrchid is a 14,000 sq ft space comprised of two art galleries, office pods, and two world-class photo cycloramas. The varied connected spaces house multiple creative businesses and offer unique settings for cultural events within the masonry walls and soaring natural wood bow trusses. Originally a warehouse constructed in 1937 by Del Webb, the building is an excellent example of adaptive-reuse in the city’s core. Through years of renovation and invention, the building has morphed into a place for collaboration, creativity and celebration.  For more information about art exhibitions, event rental, or office space please visit www.monorchid.com .