For small, local Tucson artists, Fourth Avenue is the place to sell products like stickers, prints and clothing. The street is also home to murals done by street artists. But one art gallery’s exhibition space features new artists every month and sells local artwork.
The &gallery has only been open for three years but has made a significant impact on the art community of Tucson. It doubles as an art gallery and art shop. Located on Fourth Avenue, &gallery recently featured artist Nolan Patterson in his own solo exhibition titled “Dark Light”.
“It’s pretty awesome, I just love sharing my art with people and having people see it,” Patterson said.
Patterson had some previous art displays in group exhibitions before he was able to have his own solo exhibition. &gallery isn’t the first place Patterson has had his art displayed at. He has a mural downtown as well that showcases the Black Lives Matter movement.
The owner of &gallery, Cynthia Naugle, is quite familiar with Patterson’s work. They have known each other for a few years after meeting at a previous exhibition hosted for another artist, Zack John Lee.
“It was really cool to see all of his pieces I’ve been seeing throughout the years,” Naugle said.
Patterson’s girlfriend, Dixie Bungard, helped create a display for opening night. A stuffed smiley face that sat on a pedestal as a centerpiece surrounded by his art.
Patterson originally started creating artwork when he was a kid due to his mom being an artist herself.
“I would randomly draw things in my sketchbook. I would randomly draw one to two things on a page and flip it. Instead of moving on from those couple of characters on a page, I’d kind of fill the page just continuing the drawing,” Patterson said.
Azra Garcia, an employee at &gallery, spoke about Patterson’s exhibition, mentioning that their favorite piece is titled “A Nice Day.”
“It was an amazing show, Nolan is an incredibly talented artist. His creativity knows no bounds and it’s fascinating to see what he creates,” Garcia said.
&gallery is also home to different kinds of merchandise from several local artists. Whether it’s pins, stickers, shirts, hats or even homemade zines, &gallery sells it. It allows other artists to show off their talents to the community.
“The goal is to showcase local artists in Tucson to show that Tucson does have a hungry art scene,” Naugle said.
For those interested, &gallery is currently open seven days a week from 12-6 p.m.
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