As the excitement and anticipation builds for this week’s first Friday U-haul Brick Festival, so does the word on the street about the festival. Imagine a mobile art gallery with music, debauchery and fun for all. Now imagine this gallery times 10 and that is how big this years’ mobile exhibition will be. To get a chance to partake in this year’s mysterious festival there are two ways to become involved . The first is to support the artists whose trucks by donating to the festival to help the starving artists of this festival succeed.

The second way to get involved is to show up at the IGCA this Friday, Sept. 2 between the hours of 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. to hitch a ride at the IGCA bus station.

The “bus” will take patrons to the festival’s secret location and return them back to the IGCA on a timed schedule. The festival is sure to be amazing so hitch a ride on the “bus” and be where all the cool kids are.

On Friday, the gallery opened its doors with two new exhibitions, COLLECT/ART and David Freeman’s Picturemaking. Before 5:30 p.m. the gallery was packed with patrons and some of the most well-known artists in Alaska filing through the door and turning the gallery into a social happening rather than just an art opening.

With folks like Hal Gage, Mary Ann Fortune, Ed Mighell and Don Mohr shuffling through the galleries, nearly everyone had a smile on their face and artists were connecting with each other as if a party were being thrown.

At the end of the evening, patrons were still filing in, some with disappointed faces as their favorite pieces had already sold earlier in the evening, others elated at their newly acquired purchases. However, if you didn’t make it to the opening, don’t be worried as their are tons of pieces still left — all selling at less than $500. The gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday from 12 to 4 p.m. until July 30, so swing by and admire the arts or acquire more art for your personal collection. Also check out the article in the Anchorage Daily News Sunday Life Section, a fantastic spread on the gallery and the COLLECT/ART exhibit, written by Mike Dunham.

While gallery sitting today and thoroughly enjoying the dreamy illustrations of Don Decker on one wall and Carol Crump Bryner’s secret doors and windows on the other, I’ve also had the guilty pleasure of sneaking a peak at several of the pieces to be shown in Collect Art opening this Friday.

"Aspirations" from Sheary Clough Suiter, part of the Collect Art show opening in July at the IGCA.

Collect Art is a an annual exhibition that encourages individuals, specifically new collectors, to buy art they may not normally be able to afford. The exhibition features works by more than twenty artists — all for sell, and at $500 or less (including many pieces priced at $100 or less).

Artists displaying their work include: Garrett Burtner, Don Decker, Sharon Ennis, Mary Ann Fortune, Hal Gage, Michael Gerace, Lesley Harrison, Denise Heimel, Esther Hong, Karen Larsen, Keren Lowell, Enzina Marrari, Ed Mighell, Don Mohr, Darla Myers, Philip Obermarck, Rosemary Redmond, James Riordan, Wanda Seamster, Sheary Clough Suiter, Sheila Wyne and more…

The July Collect Art show is going to be amazing so be sure to check out the opening this

An untitled piece by David Freeman from "Picturemaking", an exhibition up for the month of July in the Guest Room.

Friday, July 1 from 5:30 to 7:30. Pieces are sure to go fast so ensure you get to the gallery as doors open in order to get first dibs on your favorite pieces. I certainly have mine already picked out.

Also, be sure to check out the Guest Room, which features an exhibition by David Freeman featuring non-representational watercolor and gouache paintings.

If you didn’t get a chance to check out First Friday at the IGCA, no worries as the exhibitions will be up through June 25. The show features several artists with varying themes, adding messages ranging from depth to the surreal the show truly offers much to Anchorage’s art scene.

About Place, in the Center Gallery, features multi-media works made from “found or otherwise ‘local’ materials” that explore concepts Anchorage residents encounter including how, why and where we live. The show features works by Garrett Burtner, Michael Conti, Don Decker, Julie Decker, Sharon Ennis, Hal Gage, Ted Herlinger, Gina Hollomon, Keren Lowell, Ed Mighell, Jsun Parizo, Michele Suchland and Chad Taylor.

Don Decker’s Reflections, in the Guest Room, exhibits photographs that are a “straight forward look back” into his photography that reflects upon his previous work. In the South Gallery, Decker’s Oil and Water features a series of seven drawings that are metaphorical compositions relating to the climate of today’s environment.

The North Gallery exhibits architectural paintings of doors and windows from Alaska, Hawaii, Connecticut and Maine by Carol Crump Bryner. Bryner highlights the unique light, shadows and reflections of doors and windows on location that are underestimated and overlooked in common-day society, but which bring much to the energy of our lives, symbolically and literally.

For those of you who haven’t had a chance to check out the May exhibit at the IGCA, now is a good time to head over. Not only is it a beautiful and gorgeous day, but Julie Decker has outdone herself with a 45-plus piece show,”LUCK: New Works in Painting,”  which exhibits her talents as a master of mixed media and canvas painting. The show is cleanly hung with a wide genre of  paintings that display Decker’s abilities to create fantasy out of the ordinary and give insight into the mind of a woman that many consider a local ‘Wonder Woman’ of the arts, myself included.

A photograph of Julie Decker's "Rodent."

Pieces range in size and price, but many can walk away with their own Unlucky Decker rabbit’s foot for only $5. Other canvas pieces meld Decker’s signature style of rushed and dripping brush strokes merging at times dark concepts with the ever-present token “rat.” With hints at the irony of motherhood in her pieces “Caps For Sale,” “Wonderland,” and “Like Home,” there is certainly depth and delirium to interpret as well as a whole range of other concepts that provide hints into the psyche of Decker.

Also on view this month is New York artist Meredith Cantor’s surreal photography exhibit “Sight Unseen.” Stop by the gallery, garner inspiration and appreciation for the artists that will be studied generations to come.

- kt

For the month of May, the International Gallery of Contemporary Art will host New York artist Meredith Cantor with a photography exhibit titled “Sight Unseen.” As an artist who mainly mettles in photography, Cantor documents the snapshot, still and borrowed moments of her subjects, who are all often aware of her presence.

For “Sight Unseen,” Cantor particularly “examines expressions and gestures of people at rest” in a series of photos that are large-scale prints. Cantor also uses digital technology “to isolate interactions, and use the remaining symbolism of people, patterns and light to create tabloe that softly and formally proclaim visual balance and harmony.”

Her work will be on display beginning May 6 through May 29. Join the IGCA in it’s First Friday celebration and get the chance to see Cantor’s work first, festivities and a reception begin at 5:30 p.m. and last until 7:30 p.m.

Also on view is Julie Decker’s newest solo exhibit, “Luck” opening tonight.

The IGCA is currently looking for volunteers to help participate in monthly gallery sittings. If you enjoy thoughtful and engaging conversations about art with strangers as well as to be surrounded by inspirational artwork each month and artists coming and going then the IGCA volunteer gig is for you. Volunteers are encouraged to pick one to two days a month in which they would sit in the gallery for four hours, from 12 to 4 p.m., offering information to patrons of the gallery, process sales and provide a presence in the gallery space itself. Stimulate your mind and your soul while giving back to the community and learn more about volunteering today.