The George A. Spiva Center for the Arts announced today that the annual Holiday Gift Shop has been transformed into the Gallery Gift Shop, open all year.

"We’ve wanted to establish a year-round shop at the center for quite some time,” Jo Mueller, Spiva’s executive director said. “We’ve always featured the work of talented regional artists and we moved the shop to a new second floor location so we can really showcase their work. We’re a little out of the way, and for the people who have discovered the shop, it’s become a great source of one-of-a-kind gifts. Once people know we’re here, I think it will really take off. With the unique gifts we carry, we’re confident we’ll be able to do great things for local artists.” Prices range from $1.00 for a Jane Kleindl notecard to $550.00 for a Tricia Courtney oil painting titled “Reach for the Sun.” Artists price their own work and the Center retains a small commission on work sold.

Among the artists with inventory in the shop are four Merit Award Winners from Spiva’s recent Membership Show: Margaret Roach Wheeler (Mahotan line of small sculptures), David Pattison (graphite pencil drawings), Mary Ann Soerries (photographic note cards), and Jed Schlegel (functional high-fire pottery). Nine year old Rylee Stovern has placed two of her series of brilliant, fanciful birdhouses in the shop. “The birdhouses are terrific,” said Mueller. “Rainbow House won one of Spiva’s 2003 Children’s Awards. At $35.00 it’s a steal.”

The gift shop also carries work by two artists featured in Spiva’s current exhibits, Jane Kleindl and Marie E.v.B. Gibbons. Gibbons, a Colorado ceramic artist, has contracted with the shop to sell her line of small “swimmer balls.” Her large swimmer balls are on view in “Figuratively Speaking” in the Main Gallery. “Once you’ve seen the large ones, it’s hard to resist the tiny ones,” Mueller said.

The shop features jewelry artists Nicole Hughes, Barbara Foley, Laura VanBuren and Marv Dahmen; raku clay artist Brent Skinner; pastel artist Thomas B. DeCleene; photographer Linda S. Teeter; woodworker Michael Ton; and award-winning watercolorists Donna Roberts and Lari Clark. Original children’s book illustrations by Richard Courtney, giclee prints by Heather Grills and a line of note cards and greeting cards by Marilyn York are also featured. “One of the most wonderful, fun pieces in the shop is an elaborate, hand-painted and embellished ‘Story Chair’ by M. Justin Hale and Randy Wright,” Mueller added.

The Gallery Gift Shop is located on the second floor of the Spiva Center for the Arts at Third and Wall in downtown Joplin. It is accessible via elevator or stairs. A parking lot is situated on the south side of the building.

The shop is open during gallery hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday, 1:00 to 5:00.


For more information, please call 417-623-0183.

George A. Spiva Center for the Arts
222 W. 3rd Street
Joplin, Mo 64801
Tel: 417-623-0183
Fax: 417-623-3805
www.spivaarts.org

Jo Mueller, Director