Annual studio tour showcases local artists at their craft
By ANDREA SHAY
Last Saturday, the Village of the Arts (VOTA) held its annual Studio Tour, where visitors and patrons could drop in on local artists and craftspeople working in their studios and galleries. I stopped in three local galleries in the village’s south side to talk with residents and skilled-crafts business owners about their work and the village.
My first stop was Gene Tenery’s Village Sharpening studio, where I learned about the delicate art of knife sharpening and metalworking. Tenery showed me how he carefully works with treated leather straps for sharpening. He sells a variety of kitchen knives and personal folding knives. In his metal artwork, Tenery uses mostly copper and often treats it with either chemicals or fire to enhance the coloring and give a patina finish.
My second stop was at the well-known Firestone Gallery, located in the heart of the village, just a block down the street from the Arts and Eats restaurant. Artist and resident Liz Wilde runs the Firestone, and there was a fair amount of visitors on what seemed to be a sleepy day in the village. Wilde wears many hats, including that of local radio show host. Inside the Firestone lies an extensive array of Wilde’s artwork. One room holds a wall collection of re-purposed old guitars that she’s collaged, and two well-dressed skeletons stand guard outside the porch entrance.
To cap off my Studio Tour through the village, I stopped for a final refreshing conversation with Mary Fragapene at 11th Street’s Art of Life and Music. Like I and many others in the village, Fragapene looks forward to seeing how the community develops since more local artists and new residents have been moving in and enriching the village. A number of village locals describe the area as “up-and-coming” and a throwback to the Haight-Ashbury district in ’60s and ’70s-era California.
The village’s next event will be the First Friday Artwalk on April 8 beginning at 6 p.m. VOTA is at 1017 12th Ave. W, Bradenton, FL 34205. Visit villageofthearts.com for more information, or call 941-747-8056.
The Firestone’s resident cat sits atop a decorative piano inside the entrance to the main rooms.
This room is the first on the left from the doorway and contains many intricate collages and decorative guitars.
ANDREA SHAY PHOTOS
Mary Fragapene, of The Dude and Mary’s Art of Life and Music, works on a special piece inside her studio.
