Community impact 2023
The Spokane Community is becoming familiar with the Main Story Community Art Exhibition Gallery. 2023 was our third year of serving in Spokane. A snapshot of the gallery for this year, or if you were to summarize the year for Mainstory, it will look like this: 17 Exhibition Days with 22 volunteer guides involved in sharing about the art, six different places in town, and over 3000 people were introduced, impacted, educated and encouraged by the gallery exhibitions.
We started our year with team training at the Portland Art Museum, where we observed different artists and their works, practiced analyzing the paintings, and explained to others what we saw. It was a memorable experience to see a masterpiece of history, BoPcelli's masterwork, on exhibit at the time.
As the Thrive International Center continues to serve Ukrainian refugees, it was a pleasure for us to revisit the Center and present art in native languages for the residents.
People of different age groups saw paintings from all over the world, getting closer to art and history right inside the walls of the center, which gave them a place to live and feel safe. We held a unique exhibition for the community of homeschooled students and their parents at Valley Assembly church. The gallery tour for kids was offered with an educational perspective through assignment sheets and other tasks to complete. It was an engaging experience for both kids and parents as they learned about art in this unique way.
Spokane Family Day is an annual park event we had the pleasure of joining again. Located at Franklin Park this year, 150 people went through our booth. There were many meaningful conversations, positive feedback, and opportunities for us to serve families in Spokane.
The Hillyard Festival has been around for over 100 years, and it was our second year participating. Several of those who saw our exhibit last year returned to walk through it again. The feedback we received demonstrated that the community is eager to see and learn about meaningful history through art.
Our biggest exhibition event for 2023 was at the Spokane Interstate Fair. Throughout the 100 hours of exhibition time, hundreds of people constantly stopped by our booth to see and hear about great art. They were offered memorable postcards of their favorite pieces and other small gifts. This was an excellent opportunity to share that this exhibition gallery is Spokane-based and community-oriented. We met several excited and surprised people who learned about the Mainstory.
We finished up the year exhibiting during the Christmas time at Riverview Retirement Center. Chaplin Yve`e welcomed us very well and offered the Chaplin room for an exhibition place. "I always look for meaningful programs and events for our residents, and I have a passion for art as well," she told us. We had a wonderful time talking to seniors and sharing the history and Bible stories of Jesus’ life depicted in our paintings.
The Main Story Gallery team is honored to have been a part of these opportunities in 2023 and looks forward to the new year. We also have exciting plans for 2024 to participate in the Expo 74 anniversary event and local festivals. Thank you for your support and for sharing with others about the work we do in our community.
Let’s serve our city together. Would you consider supporting us in 2024? Contact us for more information, partnerships, or donations. We appreciate your consideration.
Report completed by the Gallery Director, Vladimir Kronin
(509) 992-4844
kronin.vladimir@gmail.com
mainstorygallery.art