While it once stayed on Walnut and Campbell, Springfield’s Fresh Gallery is now as established and busy as ever in their new home on Booneville St. The space offers its own set of new benefits and challenges, but what remains is the gallery’s dedication to art and community.

Also returning to the gallery is their once- or twice-annual juried show, which features  35 artists who are not members of the gallery in addition to the 22 regularly featured members.

Fresh Gallery member Farley Lewis, known in the organization as “The Coordinator,” said what makes the galley special was their attention to aesthetics above all else.

“I remember the first time I went in,” Lewis said. “I was impressed by the quality of pieces. I felt like they had a value for beauty, which I have.”

Lewis contrasted this motive with other movements in visual art today, saying the Fresh Gallery was, at its core, a celebration of visually appealing works.

“Not every art gallery has a value for beauty,” Lewis said. “Some have a higher value for making political statements or something like that. I saw the Fresh Gallery was committed to something that I felt was really important for artwork.”

The gallery’s juried exhibit is a different feel from the year round happenings, as it consists of artists that have been personally invited to have their work juried before the members, then displayed for the exhibit’s four to six week duration.

Lewis said the exhibition was a good representation of the gallery, which itself was an accurate representation of the Springfield art scene as a whole.

“We want to be culture-shapers and not just culture followers,” said Lewis. “In my mind, I want the Fresh Gallery to shape the future of art in this area. I’m not sure art is going to direct us, I think we are going to direct art.”

The success of the juried show comes at an opportune time for the gallery, as it adjusts to a new location and increased membership.

From mid-March to mid-August of last year, Lewis and his team worked to redesign and rebuild their new space with the help of the community. “During the remodel process,” said Lewis. “There was an outpouring of generosity of money, time and labor. It was a team effort: we all pulled together.” 

This community drive has always informed the gallery, from engaging new artists to providing an experience for all who come by.

“I think the art that we display and the professionalism we show help shape what people perceive as quality art,” Lewis said. “If people have seen the old Fresh Gallery but have never seen the new one, they need to come out, because it’s a step up.”

The juried show at the Fresh Gallery is going on now at their new space at 401 North Boonville.

Article by Julia Chamberlain