Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

When Adam Kidd, co-owner of the McEldowney Building at 5 Cleveland Avenue and Project Administrator at DAM Holdings, began to seek making an impact in day-to-day Winchester, many ideas came to mind. 

“Our plan is and was and will be to have a free community art space for artists to utilize and get their work in front of the public,” Kidd said. 

On Friday, April 12 one more such opportunity became a reality. 

The Gallery Above, a community gallery space recently opened inside the McEldowney Building, hosted the opening of an art show titled “Come Original” from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. 

“We’ve had so much success and interest [from] the last [show], we’re having a hard time keeping up with the amount of artists that want to participate,” Kidd said. “It’s a group of younger artists that haven’t been seen here in Winchester before. We’re really excited to exhibit their work and get [it] in front of the Winchester audience.” 

For those who attended, a number of menu items including appetizers, desserts, drinks, and more were present. 

However, as to be expected, what most stood out were the works of art decorating the walls. 

Artists participating included Hannah Vasvary, JP Martin, Laura Simpson, Brandon Mullins, Jeremey Burch, Adam Blanton, Robin Fassas, Ren Elam, and Ashley Horsley. 

Geoff Murphy, an artist whose previous work in Winchester includes painting a mural of former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg on an outside wall of Micki’s Irish Bar, presented four different works of art. 

“Adam approached me with the idea to do this show, scale it down a little bit…and that’s how we came up with the idea of this,” Murphy said, noting that he had reached out to other artists. “In one form or another, I’ve made my living making art of some kind…whether that be screen printing or sign making or wrapping vehicles or painting.” 

The show – which featured nearly 30 entries – gathered visitors from inside and outside of Winchester. 

Among those attending was fellow local artist Jeffrey Hale, who spoke of the benefits art can provide. 

“I think it gives our community an opportunity to see the hard work of artists that live here and artists who are interested in being part of our community,” Hale said. “It’s beautiful [and] something for Winchester to be proud of.” 

Kidd and others hope that arts will continue to blossom throughout Clark County. 

“I think that bringing in new art and new talent…can only be good. It just adds to cultural diversity,” he said. “We hope [it] just opens people’s minds and shows them something they’ve never seen.” 

Artwork for “Come Original” can be viewed at The Gallery Above seven days a week on the second floor of the McEldowney Building from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.