2008 Woodie Awards
Art gets exposed: Naked Art Gallery
Ashlyn Stallings
Issue date: 9/19/07 Section: Expressions
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Class is suddenly cancelled, an art-fanatic friend's birthday is next week or that creative mood is just back again-any reason is a good reason to trod down U.S. Highway 31 and check out the Naked Art Gallery. A hatching ground for emerging artists and their works, Naked Art is an affordable art shop that aims to create new art collectors.
Christened "naked" for the down-to-earth, understandable style of art, one can appreciate works here without the intimidating, high-brow stigma some galleries invoke. Fun meets functionality as pieces from over 60 artists serve a purpose, rather than being purely aesthetic.
Its doors opened in 1998 in downtown Birmingham, but Naked Art moved to the historical Highland Avenue district three years ago. Perched on a hill and half-hidden by shrubbery, the gallery's storefront has a hip, flamboyant vibe. Inside, owner Veronique Vamblaere is as bright and cool as her shop's atmosphere.
Nestled in an area known for locally owned businesses, Vamblaere said the Highland area has "a feeling nowhere else in Birmingham has."
Music similar to a Grey's Anatomy playlist adds to the shop's creative disposition. One-of-a-kind paintings deck walls and fill nooks. Mantles and old wood floors are splashed in color, beads and collages.
The baubles, ornaments, paintings and objects nestled on Naked Art's shelves are inexpensive yet dazzling-perfect for brightening a dorm room or giving as a gift. The shop includes artist biographies that provide pieces with even more emotion.
With emotion obviously etched into each piece that comes into her shop, Vamblaere said she becomes attached sometimes.
"Of course I have to take some home," she said. "It is expensive to work here."
An artist herself, Vamblaere converts cast-off furniture and retro items into vibrant masterpieces. Magnets proclaiming "Art Saves," "Tofu Rocks" and "Cookie Therapy" carry her signature alongside bold light-switch plates with eye-catching motifs.
Christened "naked" for the down-to-earth, understandable style of art, one can appreciate works here without the intimidating, high-brow stigma some galleries invoke. Fun meets functionality as pieces from over 60 artists serve a purpose, rather than being purely aesthetic.
Its doors opened in 1998 in downtown Birmingham, but Naked Art moved to the historical Highland Avenue district three years ago. Perched on a hill and half-hidden by shrubbery, the gallery's storefront has a hip, flamboyant vibe. Inside, owner Veronique Vamblaere is as bright and cool as her shop's atmosphere.
Nestled in an area known for locally owned businesses, Vamblaere said the Highland area has "a feeling nowhere else in Birmingham has."
Music similar to a Grey's Anatomy playlist adds to the shop's creative disposition. One-of-a-kind paintings deck walls and fill nooks. Mantles and old wood floors are splashed in color, beads and collages.
The baubles, ornaments, paintings and objects nestled on Naked Art's shelves are inexpensive yet dazzling-perfect for brightening a dorm room or giving as a gift. The shop includes artist biographies that provide pieces with even more emotion.
With emotion obviously etched into each piece that comes into her shop, Vamblaere said she becomes attached sometimes.
"Of course I have to take some home," she said. "It is expensive to work here."
An artist herself, Vamblaere converts cast-off furniture and retro items into vibrant masterpieces. Magnets proclaiming "Art Saves," "Tofu Rocks" and "Cookie Therapy" carry her signature alongside bold light-switch plates with eye-catching motifs.