Events

2022 ART ON 45 - Art Auction and Reception

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

Downtown Ruston Beer Crawl - Rain Check

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).

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Important Announcement

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

Calling Artists & Makers for the Peach Festival

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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.

Distancing for Everyone's Health

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

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COVID-19 Update

• The Downtown Ruston Beer Crawl this evening and the ART ON 45 Reception scheduled for Saturday have both been postponed. New dates have not been decided yet.

• We will remain open but will be operating with a reduced staff due to school closings and to reduce social impact.

• Order processing, including printing, framing, and laser engraving may experience delayed turnaround times.

• We will continue to disinfect commonly touched surfaces such as door handles, the credit card terminal, counter spaces, the bathroom, etc.

• If you have an order to pick up and would like to avoid coming inside, please call the store upon arrival to see if an associate can deliver to your car.

• If you are feeling any sort of illness, we ask you to stay home.

• Be well and stay healthy!

Art ON 45 - Art Reception and Auction

We are excited to be hosting the 5th edition of ART ON 45 exhibit. The show is currently hanging in the store. The reception and auction are on Saturday, March 14th from 6 - 8:30pm. Christiane Drieling does a fantastic job of putting on this show every year.

ART ON 45 is a unique fundraising art project which has been increasingly popular and successful because it honors both - the artists and the community.

In short, this is what ART ON 45 is about: Visual artists of all genres are asked to make a piece of art on or with a 45rpm record. Numerous fantastic artists from all over Louisiana and even from other states have participated, and it is fascinating to see their exquisite works each year.

Forty pieces are selected for a juried show and documentation in the 2020 ART ON 45 book. At the auction, the art pieces are individually sold, and together with one copy of the book.

To celebrate the 5th anniversary of ART ON 45, the two-week exhibit will not only showcase the new original works but also reproductions of the 150 pieces from the four previous years. Also, guests will be able to bid on a bundle of all five ART ON 45 books signed by all contributing artists of the last five years.

Bruce Gay, the 2018 NCLAC Artist of the Year, will join the event with the Fiddlin' Tim Trio and Mionne Destiny for a special treat!

Beneficiary of the auction will be "The Exchange," a special nonprofit program of the Ross Lynn Foundation. "The Exchange" works to support and guide area nonprofits by bringing opportunity and collaboration to North Louisiana. At its heart, the Exchange is drawing people together to improve the community – our community.

The event has been a wonderful opportunity for artists and art lovers to meet and greet, to buy and collect unique pieces of art, and to enjoy a fabulous evening in downtown Ruston. The event is free to the public; there is no admission.

Downtown Ruston Beer Crawl

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We're celebrating St. Patrick's Day with a Beer Crawl in Downtown Ruston on Friday, March 13 from 6-9pm!

This walking beer tasting event will take you from business-to-business in Downtown Ruston, where you’ll find snacks, entertainment, special deals, and more.

$15 tickets gets you 20 beer tastings and a keepsake koozie. Tickets are on sale now. Must be 21 or older to purchase tickets and attend the event. This event is limited to the first 500 ticket sales. If you waited in line at the fall Wine Walk, you’ll definitely want to get tickets now. The Wine Walk sold out in record time.

Downtown restaurants will have special deals, live music, and more festivities happening after the Beer Crawl, so stick around and enjoy local drinks, eats, and good times!

Ez-Rydr North Louisiana will be offering rides for the event as well. Be sure to take advantage of the convenient "EZ Access" lane setup by the Trolley Stop in Railroad Park during the event.