Have you ever heard the term “starving artist”? I definitely have, during conversations with my parents about my dream to be the next Pablo Picasso. Being an artist has the stereotype of rarely succeeding, but many pursue the career anyway because it’s their passion. As students, we can often get caught up in picking a career by the number of zeros after the dollar sign while hoping that we may someday kind of, maybe like our career enough to do it until we retire. We should applaud those who have the guts to pursue what they love in spite of the challenges, especially in the field of art. For this reason, I think it’s important to support local artists following their dreams. One way to support them is to visit the Yellow Rose Art Gallery and, if you're lucky, go home with a great piece of art.
The Yellow Rose Art Gallery is located on 122 State Street above The Fountain Tavern. It was opened by Miles Kristan, a local photographer and filmmaker. A portion of the space is a multi- roomed gallery while the rest is reserved for artists to work. I was pleasantly surprised to find this homegrown gem among the eateries and crowds of people on State Street. As I entered the gallery, I was greeted by an artist hard at work and I was thrilled to see such an eclectic variety of mediums, colors and creators. Upward of 30 artists display their work on canvases large and small, using wire, furniture, photography, metal plates, paper maché, wood and and pieces that intermix all of these categories. While this spread is surely impressive for any gallery, I was disappointed that there is no ceramic art on display. Despite this, Yellow Rose Gallery is an incredible hot spot for finding local art at a great value.
Buying locally is an incredible way to give back to your community rather than shopping at large chain stores. In the long run, making this choice to buy local can enrich your community’s diversity of shops and support small businesses. By shopping for that new, unique piece of art for your apartment or home at Yellow Rose, you can be part of this cycle. Plus, how amazing is it to think that when you buy local art, you are directly helping someone’s financial situation, while fueling their passion and allowing the artist to continue creating beauty? Lastly, buying locally is not out of reach, even for those on a budget. One of the great parts of shopping from a local artist often means that you can buy amazing art at an equally amazing value.
While Yellow Rose is a gallery close to home, there are hundreds of galleries across the Madison area. Many of these galleries recently participated in a Madison-wide art gallery night hosted by the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art on Oct. 7. This yearly event allows for the vibrant artist community in Madison to showcase their best. Be sure to keep your eye out for it next year and make an effort to buy local.
