By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Two years ago, when Patti Wisniewski started to create the only art gallery on Grand Rapids’ West Side, a lot of people told her it was a mistake. Luckily, Patti didn’t listen.
Accents Gallery, 1054 W. Fulton St., is developing as a unique venue where over 40 artists from the city and around the state display their photography, acrylics, tissue art, pottery, watercolor paintings, wood carvings, painted furniture, texture art and more. Wisniewski is thrilled.
“I didn’t realize how much I wanted having an art shop until we started building it,” Wisniewski says. “I started getting back into doing my art after being a mechanic 13 years. I retired at 40, and when I turned 50 my husband bought me the building for my birthday.”
Accents Gallery also offers a variety of art supplies and services.
“We put artists’ prints on canvas or photo paper,” Wisniewski says. “We can also put any photo on canvas.”
Wisniewski offers photo retouching and a stitch service to create a panoramic picture by connecting several photos. For the past several weeks she’s been busy designing this week's Neighborhood Business Awards programs, invitations and certificates while John focused on creating the laser-engraved acrylic awards for the NBA winners.
Patti, a West Side native, has ambitious plans for helping area youth develop their artistic talents as a means for staying out of trouble.
“I’m affiliated with the Grand Rapids Youth Commonwealth and I want to start youth art classes at the beginning of the year,” she says.
“The west side needs this energy over here,” she adds. “When I was building the gallery, some people said ‘Yeah, right, good luck,’ and others said ‘It’s about time.’”
Source: Patti Wisniewski, Accents Gallery
Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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