Local business owner Adrienne La Faye created the Renton Outside Art Gallery to respond to a dilemma. She wanted to find a way to encourage people in the community to experience art, particularly those who might never have visited an art exhibit, gallery or museum. La Faye decided that the best way to get people to the art was to bring it directly to the people. Now her work is on display outside Smoking Monkey Pizza on Third Street in Downtown Renton.
The project was funded by the Renton Municipal Arts Commission and 4Culture, and the artist is continuing to work with with these and other organizations to create more Outside Art Galleries in Washington State and across the U.S.
For Adrienne La Faye, the question was simple — instead of waiting for people to come inside, why not take fine arts outside to the community? After receiving grants from the Renton Municipal Art Commission and 4 Culture, this local artist was able to do just that. La Faye is the creator of the Renton Outside Art Gallery, an outdoor gallery in downtown Renton. The first set of installations, erected on the alley wall of Smoking Monkey Pizza building on 613 S Third St are of La Faye’s series titled “Graphic Flowers,” a series dedicated to her mother.
“My mom loves flowers,” she said. “I like flowers. But they die.” While the series took 18 months complete, La Faye said she hopes this is just the first step. Her goal is to start outdoor galleries in other cities and have other artists participate.The vibrant use of color and mosaic-like painting is La Faye’s signature. “I used to take art classes when I was a kid…. One of the classes was a stained glass class. It was a lot of fun. It put an impression on me, even on my style today,” she said. “My philosophy is that we all have purpose in the world. Just like your body, it’s all separate but it comes together as one. That’s how we all are.”
The Gallery will feature a revolving quarterly or bi-yearly installation of new artwork from a various local artists. For information about the Outside Gallery or how to get your artwork featured, contact the Renton Municipal Arts Commission.