Galerie Melange To Open Friday, Feature Work By Nabors Raiteri

The former location of the retail store Melange, next to Merchant Street Gallery at 123 Merchant St.,, will open this week for the Fourth Friday Art Walk as Galerie Melange.

Bill and Patti Naeger, who own the property with both the Merchant Street Gallery and the vacant storefront next to it, hope to use Galerie Melange for a variety of art-related events until it is occupied by a full-time renter.

Janice Nabors Raiteri will have an exhibit in the space for this month’s art walk, while Ali Cavanaugh’s show in the Merchant Street Gallery will be held over following her book-signing event there in April.

Raiteri’s show will be called “Something Else.”

It will be open during the art walk, which takes from 6 to 9 p.m. on the fourth Friday of each month from February through October. The show also will be open this weekend, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

A silent auction be held for one of Raiteri’s paintings. All proceeds will go to purchase supplies for children’s art classes at the new Ste Genevieve Art Center, which will be the Ste. Genevieve Art Guild’s home base in the old museum on the Courthouse Square.

Other downtown art spaces that will be open for May’s installment of the Fourth Friday Art Walk include:

• Rhinehart & Rhinehart’s, which recently was renovated and will now feature the work of artist Rick Bayers.
• 109 North Main will feature the artwork of Terri Cavins (from 5 to 8 p.m.)
• The Hands on History House (Linden House) on South Main will feature art work produced by Hope Christian Academy students in addition to music on the porch.
• Rustik Sand Kandles will feature art on canvas, glass and and “found treasure” by Shellie Schmelze, who will be demonstrating window painting.
• Rust will feature six local artisans displaying diverse creations of rustic candle cans, artful crochet and hand-knit items, paper filigree jewelry, paintings and hand-painted boxes.
• The Sainte Genevieve Winery, which features work from art guild members each month, will spotlight the work of plein air artist Pat Ferguson.
• E-Klek-TiX on North Main Street features new art by J Rissover in addition to old jazz, wine and conversation.
• Sassafras Creek Originals on St. Mary’s Road will have guest artist Lisa Palmer of Never Bored Creations.
• Lewsi Winery’s show will have a “woods theme” with artists Brenda Thompson’s “fur & feathers” paintings, Kevin Ord’s earth-toned pottery, and Suzanne Thompson’s hand-dyed “fluers.”
• Modern Primitive on Washington will feature watercolor frescos by o*Live.

The Gallery Association of Ste. Genevieve coordinates the art walk. For information, email artwalkstegen@gmail.com.

(Information from the Gallery Association of Ste. Genevieve, from Bill Naeger and from Janice Nabors Raiteri.)

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