If you go
› What: Yart Sale.› When: Through Feb. 21. Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-noon Saturday and by appointment.› Where: Creative Arts Guild, 520 W. Waugh St., Dalton, Ga.› Phone: 706-278-0168.› Website: www.creativeartsguild.org.
No, it's not a typo, Savannah Thomas wants you to know. The Yart Sale at the Creative Arts Guild in Dalton, Ga., is purposely spelled as a clue to its contents: It's all about art.
"When I was in art school," relates the Savannah College of Art and Design alumnus, "I had a group of friends (all artists) that got together to hold a yard sale at the end of the school year - except what often takes up the most space in an art student's home isn't stuff but art that they've made throughout the year. Thus, they became 'yart' sales."
This twist on a traditional yard sale, adds CAG music director Lisa Elders, "allows art creators and art collectors to trim their collections while art lovers are provided a great way to add to theirs."
For the CAG's Yart Sale, Thomas, the CAG's gallery director, has likewise gathered works from multiple sources, with prices befitting a tag sale.
"We'll have original artwork priced as low as $10," she happily reports.
All of the pieces have been donated by collectors or regional artists. Anything that doesn't sell will be returned to the original owners.
"We started soliciting back in October and have been lucky to get over 100 pieces of artwork in various mediums, including fiber pieces, charcoal drawings and pottery," she says. "Many of these pieces are much loved by their owners/creators, but they're hoping to make room for something new."
Thomas says she has a couple of favorite pieces, including works by Arthur Parks, an Atlanta-based artist and instructor, and Annie Greene, an award-winning yarn artist. Inclusions by local folk artist Linda Fair are also "especially exciting," she says, as this is Fair's first time exhibiting her work.
The Yart Sale continues through Feb. 21 in the Jonas Gallery, and one truism remains intact from yard sale to yart sale: The earliest shoppers will find the best selection.
Thomas says proceeds will be used to replace the lighting in the galleries.
"The Creative Arts Guild has a proud history of bringing exceptional exhibits of art to the community and presenting them in our three galleries," she says. But the lighting has become problematic.
"Works displayed in Gallery Five20 and One11 are illuminated from above by an early system of track lighting, finicky heavy cans, and require bulbs that are incredibly expensive and becoming more difficult to find," she explains. "The system was installed over 35 years ago, requires frequent repair and is in serious need of replacement."
Ideally, she says, the existing system would be replaced with a more energy-efficient LED system that would "allow us to better execute the lighting experience for each exhibit."
Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.