Busy Art Center, a Creative Hub in Downtown Foley

By: Jim Hannaford

Chloe Salinas took some painting classes a few years back, but the lessons didn’t really take. She loved the experience of being around so many creative people, though, and it pushed her into a new direction. For the last year and a half, she’s worked as the executive director of the Foley Art Center, which serves as an inviting and accessible gallery for local artists and artisans. 

Chele Jinn, who is an accomplished painter, is her assistant there, and they seem to share a vision of how art can – and should – play a bigger role in everyday life. They are among a group of passionate and energetic people who are working to make sure that as the city of Foley moves forward (and it certainly is), art is part of the picture.

Both of these women say they feel lots of fresh energy in the downtown area, thanks in large part to several endeavors headed up by Foley’s Main Street Organization. That’s the group that pushed for the after-hours Third Thursday events, as well as the public art project known as Cat Alley. Those are just two examples of the exciting revitalization of the city’s downtown district.

“Everybody’s working together and it’s forming this chain, and it’s a good, sturdy chain,” says Chloe. “There’s been a lot of growth and a lot of change, and we’re also seeing a lot more interest and support from our community. And that’s really the way it should be because art brings everybody together.”

The Foley Art Center does its part by showcasing the works of around 75 artists from the area at a time, so if you’re in the market for some local art, it’s a warm and friendly place to drop in and shop.

Almost in the shadow of the pedestrian overpass on McKenzie Street/U.S. 59, the center is in a small building that’s actually older than Foley itself. Resembling a shotgun house, it began its life around 1905 as the Claude Peteet Real Estate Office. (That’s a full decade before Foley was incorporated as a city in 1915.) The art center has a substantial history of its own, operating out of a variety of locations before settling into this one nearly a decade ago.

“We're a nonprofit group of about 150 different artists in the area and we’ve been in the community for 57 years,” says Chele. 

It would be surprising if you didn’t see something inside those walls that you didn’t want to take home, but it does happen. If that’s the case, just make a return visit. They rotate the artists and their works on a regular basis, so the inventory changes frequently. Starting in mid-October, they close up shop at the center entirely to focus on their annual Trim-a-Tree holiday show that takes place in a temporary space in Tanger Outlets. It opens the second Friday in November and extends seven days a week (except for Thanksgiving Day) until Dec. 23.

“It’s a holiday show, but we do sell gifts and fine art, as well,” says Chele. “Mostly, it’s hand-made ornaments, wreaths, Christmas stuff like that, but also regular jewelry, woodwork, fine art paintings, nativities, plus jams and jellies and pickles and local honey. We have those kinds of vendors there.” 

Another big event they look forward to every year happens on Mother’s Day weekend in Heritage Park, which is just across the street from the center. 

“It’s called Art in the Park,” says Chele, “and it’s a juried show that’s been going on for 53 years.”

As the curator of the center downtown, Chele is mindful of offering a wide range of art from many different artists. While some visitors’ tastes run toward the abstract expressionism that is Chele’s favored style, others want something that reflects the Gulf Coast area’s natural beauty.

“Most people who move here and buy houses and condos actually want to decorate with beach scenes or the native wildlife, or they want a pretty sunset,” Chele says. “So a lot of our art is like that, but I like to have quite a variety.”

Once a month for most of the year, they highlight a particular artist and give them a little more of the gallery’s precious space. (Last month’s featured artist was potter Steven Dark, and this month’s is painter and sculptor Cathy Calvin.) Except for when they are closed for Trim-a-Tree, they have a reception for the new exhibits on the third Thursday of the month, which dovetails nicely with Foley’s new Art Walk events. 

Chele describes the center and its mission as something of a win-win, or maybe a symbiotic relationship, for the large community of creatives from Foley and its surrounding communities. 

“Artists who are just trying to get their feet wet and want to see what will happen when they put their works out, find that we give them a jumping-off point,” says Chele. “Because we're a nonprofit, it’s affordable for the average artist. We don’t charge them rent every month and we don’t take a high commission.” 

Her boss and friend, Chloe, could have been one of those blossoming artists, but she realized she was better cut out for an administrative role. She enjoyed taking those classes, along with her mother and has a lot more than a small stack of unfinished acrylic paintings to show for it. She soon found a rewarding job at the center, leading directly to where she is today as its director.

Furthermore, she’s more of an organizer at heart than an artist, she says, so she’s thrown her energies into making the art center an even more vital part of the community. 

“I want us to be a little landmark here in Foley, a place where we can come in and feel joy and happiness,” Chloe says. “I love that there’s something different every day. You never know what artist is going to come in, or what customers, so it’s been a lot of fun growing that relationship with them.”