Still have people on your Christmas shopping list? Or maybe you forgot to get something for someone, and you actually like them?
Why not get them something that is locally sourced, unique and that they might love for years to come? And it doesn’t have to break the bank.
Local art galleries offer a wide range of gift ideas, and they come in prices ranging from $10 to thousands of dollars. Maybe your recipient would like a membership to the Hunter Museum of American Art. It’s a gift that not only gets them into the Hunter, where you can receive discounts on items in the gift shop, but that also gets you into nearly 500 museums around the country.
“You can find something for everyone on your list in the gift shop, and membership is a very unique gift,” says Cara McGowan, director of marketing and communications.
Membership options range from the $15 student option good for admission only to a $250 sponsorship option. Packages include everything from members-only previews, store discounts and a yearlong subscription to the museum’s magazine, Art View, to behind-the-scenes tours, guest passes and benefits for your kids or grandkids.
The Passport option, for example, is $100 and includes the above benefits for two adults, plus a 20 percent discount on children’s or grandchildren’s studio classes and summer camps, plus membership ino the North American Reciprocal Membership Program, which offers free or discounted entry to participating museums.
“That is one of the best gifts I can think of,” McGowan says.
Museum hours today are from noon to 5 p.m.
Area art galleries also offer a selection of unique gift ideas in all price ranges. Among the popular items on the low end of the price spectrum are handmade ornaments, but gallery employees can point out nice paintings that can be had from around $20 as well.
“We sell a lot have ornaments and lower-priced paintings this time of year,” says Jim Tucker, marketing manager for In-Town Gallery on Frazier Avenue. The store will be open today from 1 to 5 p.m. and Christmas Eve from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The gallery specializes in paintings and high-end photography, but it offers a variety of unique pieces.
“We have things in the $10, $15 to $60 range,” Tucker says. “In those last few days, those are things that tend to go out of here, and everything we sell is original.”
Norman Davis, a sales assistant at River Gallery in Bluff View Art District, says the store will be open at noon today, an hour earlier than normal, for those last-minute shoppers. It will remain open until 5 p.m. Christmas Eve hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“We represent artists from all over the country in all genres,” Davis says. “In fact, our main exhibit room this week features a variety of artists and works.”
These are just a few of the galleries in our area offering these timeless, one-of-a-kind gift ideas.
See more at https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/chattanooganow/art/.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.