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On Aug. 21, Tom’s Auto Repair at 211 W. Rich Ave. in Downtown DeLand will host the first Fresh As Fruit Gallery exhibition show, which will run through the weekend.
The gallery will host one- or two-person art shows one weekend out of every month, with Friday being the show’s opening reception from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The space is a closed-off gallery, kind of like window-shopping, which works great with the current state of social restrictions. Those interested can walk up to view the exhibit, or stay in the car and view while cruising by.
A recent mission in the gallery is to display work of artists who have previously been under-represented in the traditional spaces that the fine-art world inhabits. Specifically, members of the LGBTQ+ community; Black artists and artists of color; non-bionary artists; women; indigenous peoples of the Americas; and people with disabilities.
A unique aspect of Fresh As Fruit Gallery that reflects this mission is the change in wall color according to the works on display and at the request of the artists.
In choosing nontraditional locations like garages, we enjoy having a space that validates this colorful transformation each month. In this way, the space divorces itself from the white cube and cleanliness that is often associated with art, and instead finds its place in common areas where everyone is welcome and nothing is exclusive.
The first artist to show is Marina Sachs, a multimedia artist and educator living in Gainesville.
