"We are energy. Art is energy with powerful vibrations . I try to bring all these good vibes into my gallery space, as I believe that strong artwork is a means for spiritual awakening."
-Art Director of the Christine Frechard Gallery, ChristineFrechard
For gallery owner and art director, Christine Frechard, and her passionate art enthusiast landlady, Judy Wojanis, their coming together was orchestrated from a place beyond themselves. The gallery, birthed from that match made in heaven, is bearing beautiful fruit and opportunities not only for Pittsburgh, but for the worldwide community to come together, via the love of the arts.
"Judy came into my life when I strongly decided to move back to France. I had my job back and lined up for my return, all the passports were renewed, and my daughter and I were about to leave last summer."
"I miss France, my roots, my land, and all my family still live there. Ten minutes after I mailed my new job contract to France, I met Judy at the gallery space. The space was empty but very elegant and beautiful, and right away, as I moved through it, I could visualize the type of art I would put on the walls. A strong sense of belonging and purpose enveloped me..."
"I had tears in my eyes and told Judy that it was too late, that I had made up my mind and was headed back to France. Very gently, she replied: "No, you can't go; this is your space; you need to stay here." I was in shock. We spoke a bit more; then she offered me an amazing proposal that was hard to refuse. I was heartbroken not to go back home, but I felt that it was an opportunity brought by God and I had to take it. Maybe, it's a bigger plan or just a last minute temptation. Today, I am still trying to understand what happened, but I decided to follow the flow and cancel my plans."
-Christine Frechard
Located on Butler Street in Upper Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh, the gallery boasts an extensive collection from artists specializing in painting, sculpture, photography, and mixed media art. It offers a diverse selection of local, national, and international artists showcasing an expansive range of original art at reasonable prices. Think NYC gallery meets Pittsburgh affordability.
In addition to art exhibitions, the gallery is home to live jazz every Saturday, providing a platform for both new and renowned talents. It is a great cultural hub for artists, collectors, and other like-minded individuals to come together, mingle, and enjoy art at its finest.
"I believe that Art transcends any type of group affiliation, or beliefs, especially political orientations. Art is a way of life, and it does bring people together, even if there may be times that some people are intimidated to come through the door of this beautiful, elegant space. Personally, I need to be surrounded by art to stay "sane" in a world moving too fast and vibrating too low. Art generates a type of vibration that lifts people's spirits. A piece of art is far more than a physical object; the universe is contained within each work."
"My gallery is here for every soul, everyone is welcome here. I try to make it friendly and cozy, a consciously different feel than some New York or Paris art galleries that can be stuffy and elitist, and tragically focused on their finances alone."
"I am very intuitive and a spiritualist. I often meditate and pray. I offer Tarot reading and Pendulum, a type of spiritual guidance. I believe in our inner power, the love - light energy that we need to stay connected. I love reading about religions and I would love to take a spiritual journey in India, where I have a call to meet Babaji spirit somewhere."
"I like to utilize this space for charitable work; it's part of my vision of this place as a unifying force for good. Through the African American Chamber of Commerce, a non-profit organization called "Clean Water Kenya" contacted me to organize an art fundraiser for Kenya. They are a small group of people flying to Kenya directly, buying water filters to put into wells in villages. I met with them and loved the concept. I am offering them the space for free and helping them organize a silent art auction and bringing musicians ( Abafasi, women drummers). Art auction benefits "Clean Water Kenya."
Sale of authentic African art brings disease-free water to rural villages
A silent art auction to benefit Clean Water Kenya will be held from 4-7 PM on June 1, 2019,
at the Christine Frechard Gallery, 5126 Butler St., Pittsburgh, Pa.
Patrons are invited to bid on paintings, carvings, and jewelry created by Kenyan artists.
Refreshments, wine tasting and musical entertainment are included in the ticket price of $15 per person.
All proceeds benefit Clean Water Kenya, a nonprofit organization that distributes portable water filtration systems to rural villages in Kenya, providing thousands of people with clean, disease-free drinking water.
Tickets are available at the door or online at cleanwaterkenya.com, or EventBrite.com
Upcoming at the Gallery :
May 21 until June 19 - " Rythmic fusion" Stephane Pedno ( Montreal) and Kevin O Toole ( PA)
"Then a photograph and video installation show, very powerful artwork of Victor Grauer, Masha Tatarintseva, and David Aschkenas."
"I like to embrace any form of art. The gallery has hosted musical events, a quartet from the symphony orchestra back in February and a jazz duo, Jessica Lee and Mark Strickland in March. We also host an intuitive reading night each Friday from 5 to 8:30 PM, with Tarot readers, medium, psychic readers, reiki masters...People respond very well to it and like to come back, and bring their friends"
"Some workshops we've featured as well are: life yoga coaching/meditation groups with singing bowls."
"I rotate exhibitions every five weeks and I like to offer an art talk for each exhibition that gives an opportunity for the artist to talk more intimately about their work with the public.
In collaboration with the CMU Patron of the Art Usher School, we just started yesterday (April 2019) an art circle to try to educate more people about art in general. That talk was about "how to get a better understanding of abstract art.".
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