All it took was a community-based media class at Georgia State to spark a light in Erica Jameson, the founder of Mint Gallery, one of Atlanta’s few non-profit art galleries. Now with an impending move to a new space in the coming weeks, the gallery’s fifth annual Postcard Pin-Up show will christen their new home.
The organization was incorporated in June 2006, and Jameson and company have been working non-stop to promote the artistic community of Atlanta ever since.
“It’s more about the artist. We work with a lot of young, emerging artists and a lot of people who may not have the opportunity to show their art elsewhere,” said Jameson. “We view ourselves as more of a springboard.”
Not only does Mint Gallery promote the local, emerging artist in its own space, but Jameson has also spearheaded GatherAtlanta, a collaboration of Mint Gallery, Wonderroot, BurnAway.org, and ThoughtMarker.net that offers an annual conference and forum for emerging creative organizations. The gallery also hopes to implement a mentorship program in the future, pairing up up-and-coming creatives with more established artists in their chosen medium.
The accolades that Mint Gallery has received from the art community for their contributions are numerous. Creative Loafing dubbed Mint 2010’s Best of Atlanta Critics’ Pick for Best Underground Art Space, and local artists continue to use the gallery to jumpstart their artistic careers.
“Mint has managed to be a huge player in the local emerging arts community without any sort of pretense,” said Nikita Gale, a local artist who currently has an exhibit on display at the gallery titled BOOLESH1T, a large display of art exploring how technology has affected human behavior.
Mint Gallery has held down the famous orange door of Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward on JW Dobbs Avenue for the past five years, but will now be moving its venue right down the street. Mint’s current venue is a relatively large space, and to make use of some of the superfluous space not used for exhibits, Jameson rented out the living quarters to local artists in the area.
“After a while it became very tiring to come in and clean up after people,” she said. “It was fine but what we had to figure out was, ‘How do we run a business out of a home?'”
On Dec. 3, Mint Gallery will open its new doors to the public with an opening reception for their annual Postcard Pin-Up show. Naturally, this first show to occur at their new abode at 145B Sampson Street was also the first at Mint’s previous location.
“I love the fact that the Postcard show is like a huge art party. It’s a completely open and non-judgmental environment, and everyone is just there to have fun, mingle and enjoy all of the art,” said Gale. “It’s like a massive art free-for-all.”
The Postcard Pin-Up show is a non-curated group exhibit, and everyone is encouraged to participate—even those who may not consider themselves artists. Any medium goes, but the piece cannot exceed the size of a postcard (four inches tall, six inches wide). Past entries in the show run the gamut of art and include sculptures, paintings and photography.
“Sometimes it’s nice to have a small medium to work with, constrained yet liberating,” said Jason Travis, another local artist who has participated in every single Postcard Pin-Up show.
The show will take place at Mint’s new space on Dec. 3 from 8 p.m. until 11 p.m. and is free to the public. To participate in the show or learn more about other upcoming events at Mint Gallery, visit www.mintatl.org.
