Verge Center for the Arts is pleased to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Center’s groundbreaking with a special exhibition titled “The First 10yrs” that debuts April 8 and continues through May 20, 2023. The limited time anniversary exhibition will showcase artwork in a variety of disciplines and mediums that include eye-catching imagery, paintings and performance, thought-provoking three-dimensional objects, textiles and sculptures, emerging digital and video work. Free to experience and enjoy, “The First 10yrs” is the inaugural biennial exhibition of works produced during the first ten years of Verge’s Resident Artist Studio Program (RASP) and created by 50 talented local artists who have contributed to the success of Verge over the last decade. An opening reception will take place on Saturday evening, April 8, from 5 to 8 p.m. and will include “meet and greet” opportunities with a number of the participating artists. Free to attend, the opening reception will also include complimentary bites and beverages and interested community members are encouraged to RSVP here.
“It’s hard to believe it has been 10 years since the groundbreaking of our incredible space that has been the catalyst for and held the works of so many amazing Sacramento area artists and creatives,” said Liv Moe, Founding Director of Verge Center for the Arts. “We are incredibly grateful to our supportive community and valued partners for their welcoming and collaborative spirit that has helped pave the way for our continued success. We look forward to looking back with ‘The First 10yrs’ exhibition and looking forward to future possibilities about what the next decade holds for us all.”
As background, Verge was originally established in 2006 by the Center of Contemporary Art Sacramento (that later merged with Verge Center for the Arts in 2014). Verge moved into its current location in the spring of 2010 with the dream of a permanent home for contemporary art and ideas in Sacramento. Built in the late 1960s, the downtown S Street building was originally designed to serve as a furniture and drapery warehouse with a small showroom in front. Verge was able to successfully purchase the building and closed escrow in 2013. Purchasing the building not only afforded Verge ownership, it also enabled the organization to undertake the necessary improvements to safely welcome the public into the building for exhibitions and public programs beginning in 2014.
To date, Verge has served close to 100 career and emerging artists through RASP, providing low or no cost workspace to those in need. The celebratory “The First 10yrs” anniversary exhibition features approximately half of those artists and will be the first in what will become an ongoing series of biennial exhibitions designed to showcase the artists who utilize the resources that Verge provides.
Always free to attend, Verge Center for the Arts gallery open hours are Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from Noon to 5 p.m. (closed Monday through Wednesday and in between exhibitions). Verge Center for the Arts is located at 625 S Street in downtown Sacramento and more information is available at www.vergecontemporary.org.
