Where Am I?, a group exhibition of work by The Wednesday Group will be the featured exhibit during the month of July at Fifth Avenue Art Gallery. This exhibit of work by 17 women artists will run from July 1 through 27 with a First Friday Opening Reception on July 5, from 5:30 through 8:30 pm.
Begun informally by Donne Bitner and Loretta Schnitzius in the early 80s, The Wednesday Group grew over time to become an informal organization of roughly 20 women artists. In the beginning they called themselves The Beach Girls. The purpose was to only discuss art. They met for a while in restaurants but then moved to Donne’s studio. From there the group grew and became a rich resource of women artists. The group has always remained fluid, members coming and going as life demanded, while still retaining its history of group shows, supporting each other’s work and discussing art. There have never been any officers or a move to make the group a formal organization.
The women have several times taken trips together, all centered around art or the making of art. They have had several group shows, including Chaos at the Foosaner Museum in 2003. Many members have shown in solo or group exhibitions at the Foosaner also. Some of the members did juried street shows on the FL circuit, juried museum shows, taught at-risk teens in the community, taught art in elementary schools with Brevard Cultural Alliance, taught at BCC, local libraries and gave private art lessons. Education levels include BA, BS, BFA, MFA and PhD as well as self taught artists. All together the group represents uncounted years of art experience. Despite the looseness of the group’s organization, joining remains an informal juried admission.
The ladies of The Wednesday Group have now united to bring their talents to the challenging question, Where Am I? Some are responding literally, some are responding philosophically. No matter the response you prefer, you are sure to find this exhibit a treasure of beauty and challenge.
Fifth Avenue Art Gallery is in the Eau Gallie Arts District in Melbourne, FL. All events are free and open to the public. The gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 am until 5 pm, with First Friday Openings until 8:30 pm. For further information please call the gallery.