Soft opening for downtown gallery

Joseph Raymond Fine Art Gallery will have a soft opening at its new 214 E. Broad St. location this week.
Joseph Raymond Fine Art Gallery will have a soft opening at its new 214 E. Broad St. location this week.

TEXARKANA, Ark. - Joseph Raymond Fine Art Gallery will have a soft opening at its new 214 E. Broad St. location this week.

Another gallery, Arts on Broad, is also opening at 10 a.m. today at 223 E. Broad St. Retired art teacher Debbie Nicholas and a business partner are opening this new gallery.

Raymond's downtown gallery will open for the first time to the public with hours of 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and Friday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, plus open by appointment on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The gallery features Raymond's abstract art, sculptural woodwork by Jon Welborn and "spiritiles" by Houston Llew, who's from Atlanta, Georgia. More sculpture will arrive soon. Those spiritiles are hot sellers, the gallery owner said, with 70 collectible works available and 32 on display.

"They are a very unique and affordable work of fused glass on copper tiles wrapped around wood," Raymond said, noting he's the only authorized gallery with them within around 200 miles.

While this is the soft opening, Raymond plans a grand opening reception party to be held in the future. He's holding off for now because of COVID-19.

"But I'm so ready to be open," Raymond said. He wants people to experience the "cool vibe" of his contemporary art gallery.

Over at Arts on Broad, gallery artists will include Jenny Stevens, Agnes Tirrito, Denise Bolster and Theresa Ables.

Downtown has become a home for art with such galleries as 1894 Gallery and Zen Artists Emporium. Silvermoon on Broad features occasional art exhibits, and there's also the Regional Arts Center with its gallery space on all three floors and in the basement.

(For more information on Joseph Raymond Fine Art Gallery, text 903-280-5878.)

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