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http:// --> Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Nation & World Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Local Issues Obituaries Weather Archive Revels Etcetera Backpage Hot Topics Most Viewed Forum Photo Galleries Video Readers Polls O-Zone Online Games Movie Preview Special Sections Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad Top Galleries: February 1, 2007 New galleries offer art and more By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings Orville Hector | Daily Tidings ABOVE: Woodworker and gallery member Jens Sehm enjoys a cup of espresso while looking through other artists' portfolios at Ashland's Artisan Gallery downtown. FRONT: Inger Jorgensen, co-owner of Bohemia Gallery & Framing, finishes an order on Tuesday. Customers can view their framing options on a plasma screen to see how it would look paired with their image. Customers come in, then sit on a sofa and enjoy a drink. It sounds like the setting for a coffee shop. But two new galleries in Ashland are going beyond the traditional art gallery business model. Instead, the owners of Bohemia Gallery & Framing on A Street and Ashland Artisan Gallery in the downtown have created spaces where people can feel comfortable looking at art, talking, sipping wine or espresso and hanging out. "We don't want people to walk in and feel like they have to be quiet," said Nicole Hurley, who founded Bohemia with Inger Jorgensen. The gallery opened in October with a celebration that featured live music and belly dancing. Hurley and Jorgensen hosted a holiday concert in December and plan to kick off regular poetry readings in April. Of course, Bohemia also has rotating exhibits of local and national artists. The February show is an exhibit of local artists exploring the themes of love and romance. In addition to viewing original art, customers can sit at a café-style kiosk and browse through thousands of prints on a computer. And as the gallery's name implies, Hurley and Jorgensen offer framing services. Using a camera and special software, they can show a customer what an art piece would look like with various combinations of mattes and frames, Hurley said. "People can sit at the sofa and the coffee table and have wine and coffee," she said. "We wanted to make sure our clients are more comfortable when going through the design process. It's not as formal as a typical frame shop or gallery setting." Hurley said she and Jorgensen launched Bohemia to provide a place where artists and other creative people could come and be inspired. At Ashland Artisan Gallery, owner Denise Baxter is having a grand opening to celebrate the gallery's recent move from A Street to its new downtown location. Representatives from the Ashland Chamber of Commerce will be on hand for a ribbon-cutting celebration at 5 p.m. on Friday. The gallery will be then stay open from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in conjunction with the First Friday art walk, when Ashland galleries have special evening hours. There will be a no-host bar with wine, beer and sodas, as well as free punch and cookies, Baxter said. The gallery has a fully functioning espresso bar and sells mochas and lattés made with organic coffee beans and distilled water, she said. The 12 local artists who show at the gallery all work there four hours per week, so patrons can meet their favorite artists in person, Baxter said. "The artists can do something custom. Clients can meet with them right there. All the artists have portfolios in front of the couch," she said. Along with art, Baxter said the gallery has home accessories and specialty gifts at all price points, from $5 candles to a set of $5,000 end tables. Gift wrapping is free. Baxter also holds art workshops for children and adults and plans to launch a moms' group so that mothers can meet on a regular basis and relax together at the gallery. Bohemia Gallery & Framing is located at 222 A St. For more information, call 488-5227 or visit www.bohemiagallery.com. Ashland Artisan Gallery's new location is at 163 E. Main St. For more information, call 488-5698 or visit www.ashlandartisangallery.com . Staff writer Vickie Aldous can be reached at 479-8199 or [email protected]. Leave a Comment: Advertisement: Advertisement: Paid Advertising: Debt Help Inkjet Printers Student Loans Water Filter Helzberg Diamonds Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Debt Relief Advertisement: Copyright © 2007 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved. Del.icio.us