Emerging Artists Gather for Gala at Rectangle Gallery

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When Chloe Smith signed up for the Emerging Artists Opening Gala last month, she hadn’t planned to enter acrylic paintings.

Yet there they were Thursday night, on the wall inside the Rectangle Gallery & Creative Space in downtown Centralia alongside work by other local teenagers and professional artists alike. Portraits of Smith’s dog Baloo — named for the bear voiced by Bill Murray in the most recent remake of “The Jungle Book” movie — and a colorful bird were available for the world to see and purchase if they so choose.

Not bad for a 15-year-old from Toledo who only began dabbling in acrylics about a month ago after years spent developing her drawing skills.

“I started painting for a friend’s birthday present and it turned out really well,” Smith explained. “So I wanted to try more and painted my dog and the bird. I came in looking to find out where to take art classes and (Rectangle Gallery owner Jan Nontell) helped me enter the show.”

Thursday marked the first time Nontell has put on an art exhibition for artists between the ages of 13-18 years old. The gallery has previously hosted events for children ages 7-12 to display and market their work to the masses. 

When some of those entrants aged out of the biannual event but still wanted to participate, the next step became clear. Nontell caps the galas at 20 entries on a first-come, first-serve basis. 



There are no juries determining if a child’s art passes muster. Children and their parents have to sign a contract about six weeks before a show that commits them to the process. Nontell then helps set prices for their work that, while less expensive than the professional pieces in the gallery, still collect a pretty penny.

“We almost always sell out everything in the kids shows,” Nontell said. “We’re trying to make it a real learning experience for them. They use the same tags showing names and prices as everyone else and are mixed in with the other art. We treat them like the rest of our artists.”

For Smith, the evening served as an introduction to a world she hopes to continue frequenting for at least the next few years.

As a homeschooled student, she does not take art classes at the high school in Toledo. Smith hopes to enroll in an art class there or somewhere else soon and continue honing her technique with an eye on the next Emerging Artists gala.

“It’s a nice start for either a career or a hobby,” Smith said. “It’s something I’ve never done. I always wanted to try selling drawings, but I never knew I could paint.”