First Friday Season Opens April 4, 2014, 5-9pm

This Friday Tracey Frugoli, Ken Tiessen, Jerry McNeil, Steph Van Doren, and Jim Jenkins will all be welcoming the public into their studios for an inside look at the process of art making. See where it all happens (well most of it anyway), talk to the artist about the work, check out our funky old warehouse building, have some snacks, and go home with some art. What could be a better way to say good bye to old man winter?

Come this Friday and bring your friends! 

100 Walnut St., between Water St. and Washington St., 3rd and 4th Floors. Access Walnut from Water due to construction on Washington. A pain, but it will be pretty when it is done! We have ample free parking beside our building.

First Friday Open Studios at the Murray Center, Oct. 2013

First Friday Open Studio Tours at the Murray Center season will open from 5-9pm on the first Friday of April through November, 2014. Come see our eclectic bunch of artists who share a passion for creating! Peer inside the inner world of the artist and chat about the process. You can even purchase original art for you home or for a gift.

Tracey Frugoli & 

Ken Tiessen

Tracey Frugoli, oil painter and photographer, and Ken Tiessen, pastel and oil painter, invite First Friday visitors to their joint studios. Tracey and Ken have been at their current location for about seven years.

Steph Van Doren

Steph Van Doren tells a visitor about her current 2-D work in progress.

Steph Van Doren explains how she makes her 3-D sculptures.

 

John Selberg

John Selberg allows visitors to see his large drawings by hanging them outside his studio. It is an impressive sight.

Jim Jenkins

Jim Jenkins at work on a large mixed media piece.

Jim's spacious studio also has a foundary and a great view of down town Peoria.

Judith Koren-Shanahan

Judith Koren Shanahan's welcomes guests to her studio where she has her mixed media work on offer. Sadly, Judith has moved her studio to another location in the area.

 

Guest Artist Maryruth Ginn

Maryruth Ginn's beautiful wraps were on offer in Judith's Studio as a guest artist.

Chris Holbrook

Chris Holbrook's painting with detail images here shows his irrepressable creative mind!

  

Fourth Floor Atmosphere

Our old school manual elevator is, well, a personality in itself. Some love it, some hate but it does the job:) Ok no one really loves it, who are we kidding?

Ken Hoffman

Ken Hoffman with his large in progress painting of a tiger. His studio is massive!

Three early stage paintings on cat people.











Come join us as we open our doors for the First Friday Studio Tour from April-Nov, 2014, 5-9pm.

Well May's First Friday is almost upon us! Here are the artists that will be showing this Friday May 4th, 5-9pm:

Central Illinois Artists Organization (CIAO) Artists:

 

Jerry McNeil at the wheel

Jerry McNeil (Pottery)

Susan Galloway (Portraits/Paintings) 

Mary Greenhood will perform on the 4th floor near Judith's Studio

Judith Koren-Shanahan (Collage and Mixed Media) will have live music outside of her studio on the 4th floor: Mary Greenhood and friends are playing from 7 to 9 PM.

Ken Teissen (Portraits and Landscape in Pastel and Oil)

Steph Van Doren (Painting and Mixed Media Sculptures) will be open a bit late due to a work conflict. 

And The Independents:

Wheel Art Studios (Jacob Grant and Susie Matthews, pottery) will be raffling a 4-week class session. There will also be pottery demos going and guests can give the wheel a spin at $5/20 minutes.

Ken Hoffman (Painting and Pottery) is back from Florida!

Of course, because we artists and like to go with the flow, you may find other artists in the building with their doors open as well so come on down and take a chance! Artist's studios are located on the 3rd and 4th floors.

July's First Friday a Success!

 Photos of patrons in Ken Tiessen and Tracey Frugoli's Studios Suite 312

July's First Friday Open Studio Tour a Success -  Many of the Murray Center artists are founding board members of the Central Illinois Artists Organization (CIAO) with the purpose of  starting a first Friday open studio event. With some 35 artists and 7 locations, the organization is growing and so is the excitement. We have gotten a lot of press, elected officers, had new signage printed, and all with the result of a great turn out last week! We so appreciate the support of the community and the feedback you have given us to make this event as successful as possible. It will just keep getting better--the first Friday of every month from April to Nov. 5-9pm. www.ciaopeoria.com