Customer Corner
We recently framed a Platinum palladium print with Morpho butterfly wings for Jennifer Robison. It is framed in a white oak moulding with archival materials and Museum Glass for ultimate clarity. You can pick it up for a steal at the 14th Annual Off the Wall Auction at the Masur Museum. You can bid on several great pieces by a number of talented artists. The auction ends Friday.
Be sure to check out Jennifer’s website for more of her fantastic work.
This mouth-watering day of fun has been designed to celebrate food as art. Ruston residents and visitors will be able to experience 2 and 3-D visual, textile and culinary artistry as they walk through each of our locations. Created by local student and community artists, this art is all about food. The art will reflect food, be made with food, or be food.
Interactive demonstrations have been planned throughout the day.
12:15-12:45 pm - "Farm-to-Table" at the Ruston Farmer's Market
1:00-1:30 pm -" I HeART You Coffee" at The Depot
1:30-2:00 pm - "Wear Your Food" at Ruston Artisans
2:00-2:30 pm - "Painting with Coffee" at Fine Line Supply Co
2:30-3:00 pm - "Brew Tour" at Utility Brewing
3:00-3:30 pm - "Play With Your Food" at Board and Bottle (Railway Coffee)
3:30-4:00 pm - "Cook Like a Rock Star" at Heard Freighthouse Food Park
Mixed media painting with coffee by Matthew Knopps
After you start your day at the The Farmer's Market, make your way through our unique stores, boutiques and galleries. A juried food art exhibition will be on display at several local business as indicated on the map. Many of the businesses will also have tempting treat for you inside. Visit one of our many restaurants for lunch or dinner. Be sure to visit with each business to find out about any specials or events that may be happening. Also, be sure to stop at Fine Line Supply Co to purchase a print of your favorite chalk or mural artwork from previous Art Encounters. You can begin your walk at any of our participating businesses. This one-mile walking art trail features over 100 artists.
The talent in Ruston and the local area is exceptional and many local businesses, corporations, non-profit groups are supporting that talent through their sponsorship and donations. This event is managed by Friends of Ruston Mainstreet and sponsored by Origin Bank, Century Next Bank, Experience Ruston/CVB, Ruston Cultural District, Driggers Outdoor Advertising, Fine Line Supply, anonymous donors, and Ruston Artisans. The Ruston Art Encounter conducts unique, bi-monthly events designed to celebrate the arts and community. We believe that art provides an opportunity to generate conversation and education and we invite you to join us for this fun and one- of-a-kind art event.
This may be our best Ruston Art Encounter yet. We can taste it already!
We are excited to host Dr. Markus Wobisch and his fantastic black and white photography on September 22 from 6-8pm. The exhibition, “It’s just a shadow you’re seeing that he’s chasing,” takes its name from a line in Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” and features black and white photos that Wobisch created from shapes found in Louisiana Tech’s Integrated Engineering and Science Building.
Wobisch says his photography is very much connected to his work as a particle physicist, as his goal in both fields is to pare down what he sees into basic elements that may not be obvious to casual observers.
“Getting to the core of things – that’s what I do as a particle physicist and as a photographer. Making sense of a whole through its constituents. Stripping off non-essential pieces to reveal the fundamental building blocks underneath. In particle physics, it means understanding macroscopic matter through interactions of elementary particles. In my photography, I strive to comprehend my environment by deconvoluting its structures into basic geometric shapes and their shadows and reflections.”
His choice to focus much of his work on the Integrated Engineering and Science Building stems from the excitement he felt when he moved his office into the building.
“The new building’s beautiful architecture with its wide-open spaces had an immediate positive impact on my interactions with students simply because it encourages social exchange. We are closer together now – literally and figuratively. And because of that, the quality of my life as a physics teacher has changed in a wonderful way.
“This experience has inspired me to capture the spirit of the Integrated Engineering and Science Building by spotting its not-so-obvious details from unusual, yet telling points of view. My medium of choice is black and white photography which allows me to focus on basic shapes, their shadows, and reflections, without the distraction of color.”
The exhibition will run from September 22 through October 22.
We are excited to announce the Ruston Art Encounter!
The Ruston Art Encounter is not your typical art crawl. It is an interactive, experiential art event that is coming to downtown Ruston beginning this July 30th. This new grassroots collaboration, initiated by Ruston Artisans owner Judi Null, is collectively supported and managed by Ruston’s art-related businesses, Ruston's downtown community and the Friends of Ruston MainStreet. It has long been the vision of Ruston Artisans and many other businesses to recognize Ruston as the art destination it is.
A unique art-related event will be conducted in the fabulous downtown area of Ruston on the last Saturday of every other month from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. We encourage people to visit our Farmer’s Market before engaging in each art encounter. Afterward, head over to our walking art trail that features over one hundred artists and over 20 art-related merchants, businesses and organizations within a one-mile area. After the Ruston Art Encounter, we invite you to shop, dine and perhaps stay overnight in one of our many hotels.
The following events have been scheduled:
July 30, 2022 - Sidewalk Chalkwalk – Visit our chalk walk of beautiful art displayed throughout downtown Ruston. Our artists include Jessica Ann (Creative Exchange); Ron Mckinney (Dixie Center for the Arts); Chlese Jiles (The Frame Up); Katelyn Vaughan, (The Fabric Shop); Keldrick Dunn (Cotton Top); Ruston Mirror by Creative Exchange (Railroad Park); Ashley Greer (Heard Freighthouse Food Park); Jean DeFreese Moore (The Depot Coffee House); Meredith Anderson (The Children’s Shoppe); Adam Williams (Limitless Grooming); Daniel Myers (Fine Line Supply Co); Emily Ezell (No. 9 Books & Studio 301); and Noah Blessing (Ruston Artisans). Your kids can join the artists at the Origin Depot Bank on Alabama and Monroe to create their own works of art. There will also be pop ups and fun activities along the path to and at the bank. You will also have an opportunity to vote on your favorite chalk artist. The winning artist will receive $500. Her show at the Dixie may be over, but keep an eye out as we heard that Mary Poppins is a big fan of chalk art!
September 24, 2022 – Murals and Street Art – Showcased in this walking tour are our fabulous murals and an opportunity to help in in creating portable street art mini-murals, as well as small works of art along the path. Our art-related business will be open to showcase their artworks, and classes on how to create street art will be held. Many artworks on display will also feature street art.
November 26, 2022 – Christmas Stroll – In addition to lighting the downtown Christmas tree, you will encounter strolling musicians, culinary art, performance artists and of course all those perfectly unique artistic gifts. You can celebrate all day and get your shopping done. A one-of-a-kind Christmas experience!
January 28, 2023 – Performance Encounter – Warm up the winter month with our art merchants as visual, culinary, performance and other artists showcase their talents. You will have an opportunity to practice with an artist. We promise hot coffee and chocolate somewhere on your journey!
March 25, 2023 – Edible Art – Enjoy the flavors of Ruston’s culinary artists, in addition to encountering unique textiles dyed from food and plants and visual arts featuring a food theme. We can taste it already!
May 27, 2023 – A Day of Plein Air – Encounter artists lining our streets with easels and paint brushes as they create art before your eyes.
Our planning committee this year includes Dylan Sanders and Ryan Botts, Creative Exchange; Judy Copeland, Dixie Center for the Arts; Henry McCoy, Fine Line Supply Co.; Judi Null, Ruston Artisans; and, Amy Stegall, Ruston Main Street Director/Community Coordinator.
The talent in Ruston and the local area is exceptional and many local businesses, corporations, non-profit groups are supporting that talent through their sponsorship and donations. A list of our sponsors and donors will be listed on our advertising in recognition of their contributions. We would also like to thank the Ruston Community Men’s Shed for creating our chalkboards. If you would like to donate to the Ruston Art Encounter, contact Judi Null at 318-254-3322 or Amy Stegall at 318-251-8647. All donations go toward paying our artists and expenses. No monies donated go toward any of the businesses.
Maps and information regarding each unique encounter may be picked up at Experience Ruston Convention & Visitors Bureau and at each business listed above. Shop, eat, play and stay. Ruston is your art destination!
We are pleased to be hosting the ART ON 45 show again this year. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet and celebrate the artists and their 43 pieces of art created on 45rpm records. These spectacular works are sold in a online auction to support the Louisiana Center for the Blind. Each original comes with one copy of the ART ON 45 book showing the entire collection. All proceeds go to the LCB.
The bids will be placed online so that non-local bidders can join in the fun. The bidding starts on March 17 and continues through the in-person gathering on March 19th from 6 - 8pm.
“…the pieces will be auctioned to support the work of the Louisiana Center for the Blind (LCB), located here in Ruston. According to their motto "Changing What It Means to Be Blind", the LCB offers a wide range of innovative programs and services to blind people of all ages to guide and assist them on their journeys towards leading independent and self-sufficient as well as fun and exciting lives. For instance, this includes (visual) art experiences. Partnering with the LCB invites opportunities to exchange thoughts about the meaning and perception of (visual) art for all. We are excited about working together!” - Christiane Drieling
RESCHEDULED - due to rain, the Beer Crawl has been rescheduled to April 8th.
Join us on Friday, March 11th from 6-9pm for the first Downtown Ruston Beer Crawl. The pandemic shut down the first attempt back in 2020, but we are good to go this year.
Brought to you by Friends of Ruston Main Street, the beer crawl takes you from business-to-business in Downtown Ruston, where you'll find craft beer, snacks, special deals, entertainment, and more!
Tickets are on sale now and quickly selling out. You must be 21 to purchase. They are $15 - this includes 15 tastings, a tasting cup, and an official 2022 koozie! (the cups will say 2020, but why waste good cups from the pandemic-canceled beer crawl).
Happy New Year to all of our devoted customers! We wouldn’t have made it 12 years in business without your continuous support. So, THANK YOU, from the bottom of our hearts.
We have some big news to share, but before we do, we wanted to reflect on our past.
Amanda & I left our jobs, 12 years ago (at just 26 & 28 years old) and moved to Ruston on a wing and a prayer, in hopes of starting a small business that we dreamed of for years. We loved Ruston while studying at Louisiana Tech, and we found the perfect excuse for moving back. Our hopes were to provide the best art supplies & fine art printing to the local community and college students. You helped us fulfill that dream, and then some!
Over time, our services grew to include artwork reproduction, photo & negative scanning, photo restoration, mounting and laminating, canvas printing, custom framing, laser engraving, and more. As you can imagine, we outgrew our location at the old corner drug store and we moved up the street to where we are now. As our services continue to grow, so does our need to focus.
This June, after the Peach Festival, we will be making a huge change. We will be releasing the art supply part of the business to, the newly opened, Creative Exchange (112 W. Alabama Ave). This decision was not made lightly. We have lost a lot of sleep, but we know this would be the best way for us to focus on our great services.
Dylan & Ryan at Creative Exchange have an immense love for the arts and the artists who create it. We feel that they will be great stewards and continue those relationships that we have thoroughly enjoyed for over a decade.
We will continue to have space for artists and makers to showcase their work. Custom orders for art supplies, kits, etc will continue until June.
We greatly appreciate your continued support and we wish the best of luck to Dylan & Ryan in their new endeavor.
Thank you, again, for your love and support.
Sincerely,
Henry & Amanda McCoy
The 71st Louisiana Peach Festival is set for Saturday, June 5th this year. It will be a one day event with free admission until 4pm. This year’s festival features 10+ hours of live music, a local arts market, food vendors, kids’ activities, and more peachy fun in the heart of charming Downtown Ruston.
If you are an artists or maker and would like to have a booth at the festival to sell your wares, fill out an application before the deadline. Click here for more information.
UPDATE: By order of the governor, we are will be closed until April 13th or until further notice.
ORIGINAL POST: In an effort to keep providing supplies and services while keeping our staff healthy and safe, we will no longer allow anyone in the store for the time being.
Orders for supplies can be made via email or phone for curbside pickup, shipping, or free delivery within the 71270 zip code. Orders must be $20 or more for free delivery.
We will also no longer be taking cash at this time. All orders must be paid with a credit/debit card online or over the phone.
The store will operate with 1 employee at a time to fulfill orders, so please be patient.
Give us a call if you need anything. 318.257.6595
