The JKR Gallery showcased more than 100 local artists’ business card-sized pieces throughout the month of September at their gallery in Provo.
From cityscapes to landscapes, from portraits to still lifes, more than 750 original pieces, each the size of a 2x3.5 inch business card, were featured. Artists had to apply to participate in the Business Card Art Show, and were allowed to display up to ten pieces, selling for $80 each.
Caroline Johnson, a BYU art history graduate, has been working at the JKR Gallery for a month and a half.
“I just love this gallery,” Johnson said. “It’s just a really happy place.”
Birgitte Smoot has worked at the gallery for a year and a half. She explained that this show gives both well-known and lesser-known artists a chance to share their art in an affordable way, and it can be an educational opportunity for younger artists.
The JKR Gallery has a different show each month, and Smoot said that usually 20-30 artists are represented in each show, but the Business Card Art Show has closer to 100 participants.
“It’s a really great opportunity for people who are interested in the fine arts to connect with the people that are making it happen,” Smoot said.
Many of the artists went to the show’s opening reception to greet collectors and guests.
According to the JKR Gallery website, the Business Card Art Show is their most popular show of the year.
Johnson explained that people lined up at the door for the show’s opening reception. More than 300 attended, and about half of the artwork was sold that night.
Johnson likes that the artwork was created mostly by local artists. She said that these artists “are going through the same experiences you are, in the same location you are,” and that makes their pieces more relatable.
Along with local artists, Johnson said there were even some international artists who contributed their works.
The Business Card Art Show happens annually around this time of year. The gallery’s next show will be Autumn Apparitions, a Halloween-themed exhibit, which will open on Oct. 3. Johnson and Smoot encouraged the community to plan to attend future shows.
“It’s free. It’s a good date spot,” Johnson said.
Johnson also believes that the artwork provides a way for the community to build a stronger connection.
“There’s just something so intently human about the creation of art,” Johnson said. “People can connect on a really spiritual or emotional level through an artwork. I think it is just really a beautiful way that kind of creates unity among people."