Last month I ordered some goodies from Drop Box Bakery. Drop Box Bakery is similar to that of a CSA basket. (Where you subscribe to a local farm co-op type place and get a basket of in-season fruits and vegetables.) So, I place my order, and once a month I pick up my soup/bread/dessert at a designated spot in Fresno. The designated spot for pick up happens to be at Fresno Art Hub.
Fresno Art Hub is kitty-corner (I had to Google this, I always thought it was caddie-corner) to Fresno High. It’s located on the north/east corner of Van Ness and Weldon-2024 N Van Ness Blvd.
Since last month was the first month for the Drop Box Bakery, I had to Google the address for Fresno Art Hub. When I arrived there, I felt pretty silly because my friend lives houses away from that corner! How did I miss this cute little place?
Once I entered the studio, I instantly felt at peace. There was a busy quietness to the place. The inside was so pretty, as the walls were lined with beautiful artwork. I could hear some people talking in the other room, and looked around for a few seconds before the owner, Diane, came out to greet me. She was super nice, told me how she knew Donna (the Drop Box Bakery person), and talked to me a little about her gallery. I really liked her personality, and felt like she was someone who I could sit and chat with for hours. Even though my visit was brief, I knew that I wanted to share her art gallery/studio with the readers of FresYes.
Diane later shared some of her story with me, and I think you’ll love to read a little more about her.
“Here is a little bit of how I got started. I have always been interested in art and because we lived many places overseas I took classes where and when I could. When we lived in India I studied classical Indian art at the University of Art in Madras, and University of Art in Calcutta. (She ended up coming to the US in 1976, later studying more art at Fresno State.) When [my last child] was in college I decided to open a gallery studio where artists could show their work, sell their work, take classes and/or workshops in different mediums and give teachers a place to teach art and give workshops. I had been in the Fresno art scene for some time and have a signature award from Society of Western Artists, Pastel Society of the West Coast, and Alliance of California Artists. I worked on SWA’s and ACA’s boards for many years as publicity, webmaster, vice president and president. So, being around art and artists I saw the need for many to be able to show and sell their work. I opened the Fresno Art Hub across the street from where I am now and got my feet wet. I found I needed more space especially for classes and workshops and more artists had been coming in hoping to show their work. When this space became available I moved in and soon expanded to take over the whole building. It has been very successful with a lot of classes in pastel, oil, acrylic, clay, live models, collage, encaustic, and jewelry. I am now scheduling guest artists into 2017 for workshops. Many are local but some come from places like Australia, Florida, and North Carolina. I feel very blessed that I am able to do this for the art community. One of the best things I feel I’ve done is give the Alliance of California Artists, a non profit art organization that I helped to create many years ago, a home for their meetings, workshops, and gallery. It is a very good feeling to see the vision I had take shape and come to be.“
She is so fascinating! Before we go any further, I’d like to say, “She has live models for art?!” The only thing I know about live models are what I see in movies, and most of them are naked. I’m pretty sure that’s not the case here, but how cool to be able to paint or draw someone who is right in front of you. I do not have that kind of talent. Now having said that, I think it would be pretty fun to take an art class! Fresno Art Hub holds art classes for adults and for children. To see their schedule and costs of classes, click here for more information. You can also find Fresno Art Hub on Facebook. If you’re unable to stop by the gallery during their open hours, you can always visit during Art Hop, which is the first Thursday of each month, from 5pm-8pm. The gallery is regularly opened Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 10am-5pm, and Wednesday from Noon-7pm.
Maybe one day you’ll want to take an art class, or sign your child up for one. Maybe you’re an artist yourself and you’d like to have some of your work displayed. Or, maybe you’d like to support a local artist in buying a piece of artwork. Either way, I would suggest stopping by to visit Diane sometime. She was such a pleasure to talk to. You can even make a day of it! So, start at Kuppa Joy for breakfast and coffee. Visit Diane at Fresno Art Hub. Have lunch at Dusty Buns, then dessert at Ampersand. See, look, I’ve just planned your whole Saturday!
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