Towles Court gets new gallery on the block

Date: July 27, 2011
by: Loren Mayo | Community Editor

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Jackie Peters Cully is a textile designer and silk painter.

Jill Krasner often uses something she finds and gets compelled to mosaic it. Here, sheâ��s created a mosaic teapot.

Felicia Liban uses a form of enameling and jewelry-making called cloisonnÃ©, an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects.

Patricia Curtis paints with oils, acrylics and watercolor. Be sure to check out the galleryâ��s bathroom for one of Curtis' more humorous pieces.

Dottie Baker designed this piece with a netting technique that is woven with Japanese seed beads.

When Kathleen Power Johnson noticed the for-sale sign on what was formerly the Katherine Butler Gallery, in Towles Court, she felt a sudden urge to purchase the quaint building and offer Sarasota artists a supportive venue for their work by turning it into a non-traditional co-op. At the time, she was retired.

Artists on the Court (1943 Morrill St.) currently features the works of 10 local artists and will soon begin offering classes in everything from “Magical Mandalas” to “Rocking Chair Mondays.”

“It was as if the designer built it for me,” Johnson said. “I knew immediately I had everything I needed for artists to work, show their work and let the public see them working.”

Contact Loren Mayo at lmayo@yourobserver.com.