The Transit Art Gallery and gift shop on Oil City’s North Side is ramping it up for the holidays.
“The artists want to have a personal relationship with the community,” gallery coordinator Lena Wheeler said. “We want people to see the artists and their work.”
The gallery, an enterprise that operates under the auspices of the Oil City Arts Council, is located in the National Transit Building on Seneca Street. It is filled floor to ceiling with an eclectic assortment of art created by local residents.
The new operational plan also included signing on Wheeler as the gallery coordinator. She took over the post in October, and one of her first projects was launching a schedule of gallery events for November and December.
– Small Business Saturday, an annual and nationwide observance that falls on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, is set for Nov. 28. It comes one day after Black Friday and two days before Cyber Monday, two dates that traditionally mark high consumer spending.
“Let the bigwigs, the big stores, have their Black Friday,” said Wheeler. “We’ll do Small Saturday with an emphasis on supporting neighborhood artists.
On that date, the gallery will have extended hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
– Just one day later, the National Transit Gallery will join in a national promotion of artists with Artist Sunday on Nov. 29. The event is focused squarely on artists and is designed to coincide with the hectic holiday shopping weekend.
“It’s the day for artists, for the one-of-a-kind art work for people,” said Wheeler. “Our hours will be extended that day and the artists will serve as our volunteers in the gallery.”
– Oil City’s annual Christmas Past observance to celebrate the holiday season is set for Dec. 4-6.
The gallery will extend its shopping hours during the three-day promotion. Refreshments will be served.
– The Transit Art Gallery will celebrate its 25th anniversary from Dec. 11-13. The gallery opened as a two-week holiday exhibit in December 1995 and has grown in size, exhibits, displays, show spaces and more since its inception.
“We’ll be open and have a reception for the artists and the public from 6 to 8 p.m. that day,” said Wheeler. “It is designed to specifically meet our in-person artists. And we plan to Zoom it, too, for artists and the public.”
