The annual Tanglefoot Building Artists Studio Sale returns invigorated for its twenty-second anniversary of the annual open studio place-making event on Friday, November 22, and Sunday, November 24, 2013.
“Tanglefoot,” the nickname locals have attributed when addressing this westside neighborhood collective of artists, has garnered a respectable reputation for not only providing thoughtful leadership in the organizing of the creative and education communities but has been hailed annually as one of those unique “must-do” activities in the city.
While most holiday art events have traditionally been held in December and focus on gift items, the Tanglefoot Building artists hold their art-focused event the weekend before Thanksgiving, ensuring that hundreds of visitors from all over Michigan and beyond are able to attend and visit the artists’ studios, meet informally with the artists, and, if the spirit moves, purchase an original work of art.
Click for the 2013 Tanglefoot Building Artists Showing
Founding artists Elaine Dalcher, and Nikki Wall, along with next gen artists Tommy Allen and Alynn Guerra, will be joined by Carlos Aceves, Jeff Condon, Jason Villareal, Steff Condon, and Gretchen Deems for this special arts event where the public is invited to visit the open studios of the Tanglefoot Building.
In addition, in the Allen + Pfleghaar Studio at Tanglefoot third-floor gallery space they will feature a Dinderbeck Showcase of art from their neighbor artists of Dinderbeck—a new and modern artists collective. Joining Dinderbeck in the gallery space will be Mark Rumsey, who is the 2013-2014 Guest Artist Fellow of A + P Studio and will be debuting his latest work, Happi Ness, over this weekend.
As with every year, guests are greeted at Door “K” by the event’s doorman and, after signing in, will be admitted via the steps throughout this warehouse to the artists’ studios, where for more than twenty-two years, art enthusiasts and collectors have wandered freely through these historical walls of Grand Rapids art scene. It is never the same event twice, as the artists take pride in advancing their work and field of study.
Throughout the building studios are sprinkled with diverse offerings in art including paintings, prints, photography, sculpture, T-shirts, greeting cards, and even handmade apparel.
Tanglefoot Building owes much of its success to the vision of owner Joe Skendzel, who is often on site on Friday nights as he freely greets guests. Joe, an avid supporter of the arts in Grand Rapids, has made it possible over the years for local artists to find a conducive place to create works of art in his building.
Skendzel has personally hand-selected the artists who have come to inhabit his space for more than twenty-four years. The roster of artists in this space reads like a Who’s Who of the Grand Rapids Art scene, with many of the Tanglefoot Building artists moving on to produce bigger ventures in our city and throughout the world. This curation process pre-dates ArtPrize’s model of business-artist partnerships by decades.
History of Tanglefoot Building, Artists
Artists began moving into the Tanglefoot building in 1987, but it wasn’t until 1991 that the Tanglefoot Open Studio event began. It was the first open studio event of its kind to be held in the Grand Rapids area. Michael Pfleghaar, Nikki Wall, and Elaine Dalcher hosted the event that year, and because its success the artists decided to hold “Tanglefoot” every year. And so the Grand Rapids tradition began.
Just as they have done each of the twenty-one previous years, during Sunday’s family-friendly reception, children and adults alike will have the opportunity to create their own works of art in Elaine Dalcher’s studio.
TANGLEFOOT 22 will be held Friday, November 22, from 5-10 p.m. and Sunday, November 24, from 12-5 p.m. Tanglefoot is handicap accessible. Please see the doorman at Door K upon arrival.
