Behind the Glass

Behind the Glass: Fine Art Galley

Photo by: K. Bauchum

The Bloomington-Normal area is home to many art galleries located around downtown Bloomington, Heartland's campus, and ISU's campus. The art galleries add for a bit of excitement to the town with various types of artwork and even live shows on certain days of the week. The galleries are very important to Bloomington-Normal because they have always been a part of the town itself. [The art galleries build social capital by getting people involved, by connecting organizations to each other and by giving participants experience in organizing and working with local businesses and independent artists as well.] Having the galleries allows people who would otherwise not come into contact with each other meet new people. It also increases the attractiveness of the town to tourists, the residents, and potential businesses.

Location:

The Outside of Behind the Glass

Behind the Glass Fine Art Gallery is located at 315 North Main Street in Bloomington Illinois. Downtown Bloomington has a certain ambience that draws many art galleries like Behind the Glass to make their home there. The old buildings with beautiful tin ceilings, and exposed brick allow for creativity to flow making downtown the perfect location to set up shop and get drawing.

History About the Gallery & The Owner

Natalie Roseman- The Owner

Photo via the Pantagraph: Photo link

Natalie Roseman is the owner of Behind the Glass Fine Art Studio. She started looking to open a gallery in downtown Bloomington in the summer of 2013. Behind the Glass opened in the summer of August that year. The gallery is located in an old commercial building in what is considered historical old downtown Bloomington. (To learn more about the building information can be found here: Commercial Building Info .) There are concerns that the upkeep by the current owners of the outside of the building will cause Behind the Glass to relocate due to structural problems that could endanger all who work and visit there. They are currently trying to bring the building's condition into consideration with the owners and the city of Bloomington to hopefully get it fixed.

Natalie Roseman studied Art Education and Painting at Illinois State University from 1996 to 2001. From the time she was born she was always interested in being around art and making a career. Before she opened the art gallery she lost her father which thus inspired her to open her gallery and follow her passion for art. With the help of her two children and the assistance of friends she was able to open the studio of her dreams and follow her passion. Natalie gladly shares her expertise with many students and visitors who come into the art gallery. As she teaches she mentioned how she "wants to raise her students in a creative environment and encourage other people to pursue their dreams and offer a place to do that." Natalie Roseman is assisted at the gallery by art assistant B.J. Schaefer.

Information about the Gallery

If you would like to view information about the artists and see art work visit this link: http://www.behindglass315.com/artists

The image of the gallery is meant to be welcoming and inviting. Even though the exterior of the building could be updated by the owner of the actual building the inside is chic and makes viewing all pieces of artwork enjoyable. Some of the artwork that is displayed is edgy and nostalgic. The gallery mostly displays artwork of local and more established artists of the Bloomington-Normal area. Many times the artists are available to meet with inside the gallery. There are opportunities to intern at the gallery. B.J. Schaefer is the current Assistant artist and teacher who works there. She mention's how being at the art gallery allows to meet many of the artists face to face and how it is a great way to get involved in the art community. There are also ways one can volunteer at the art gallery from being a live model, to help decorate the gallery in a chic way. The art gallery is not a corporate business but an independent business. There is an opportunity to display art work there by renting space in the gallery. The art work must be approved by Natalie Roseman herself.

To contact Natalie about additional information visit here: Inquiry

Types of Artwork Displayed at Behind the Glass:

1. Photography

2. Mixed Media

3. Oil

4.Visual Arts

5. Ceramics- Sculptural pieces

6. Jewelry

7. Clothing

8. Audio Art

9. Prints

10. Video

11. Photo Manipulation

12. Acrylic

13. Threading

Events

Behind the Glass art gallery hosts many events throughout the year from seasonal to non-seasonal. Being able to host many events allows for a good amount of foot traffic and it broadens the type of people who come to see the art gallery. The gallery most recently participated in the new event downtown that traded small original art cards for the small price of $5 to $15. To promote the gallery Behind the Glass holds many types of events to attract people into the gallery. Natalie hopes that the events will become more frequent and it will attract more people to come visit.

Types of Events Behind the Art Gallery hosts:

1. Open mic- Slam Poetry

2. Artist Receptions

3. Music Nights- Local Bands.

4. Movie Nights

5. Artist Showcases

6. Local Artists Walk

Natalie Roseman and the Vision & the Future of Behind the Glass

Natalie Roseman is an artist herself. Natalie specializes in the medium of oil paint, and water color. She illustrates as well. All of her artwork happens to be quirky and fun. Recently, her current bodies of work focuses on the nostalgic connection people have with inanimate toys, puppets and figures from that spur from their childhood. Roseman hopes her works instill a sense of awe and nostalgia in her viewers. She is also available to do commissions on pets, humans, and other requested mediums. All of her experience in artwork comes from the years she has spent showing at local art festivals with watercolor paintings, oil paintings, and illustrations that provided experience and networking for her students and herself after gaining instruction from national and international watercolor, and oil artists.

Work by Natalie Roseman

The Future- Natalie's Vision

Natalie has mentioned how the gallery has grown so much and that it will keep growing. She gets many new and more established artists in that help attract new clientele. Artists that make presence showcase their artwork because they fit into the style Natalie had in mind when she first opened her gallery. To be a part of her gallery in the future, Roseman looks for artists or performers with a unique sense of style in their work. It adds to the awe that she hopes to ingrain in her audience.

Roseman hopes the longer the gallery stays open the more it will be noticed by the public. She also mentioned how she wishes more people would come in and that in the future she hopes to find way that will attract a lot more foot traffic to come in. Since the gallery is downtown there are many visitors from the bars that are around and the competing art galleries give the atmosphere a downtown vibe. She also, in the near future wants to be able to do more collaborations with music, videos, and other types of media to make the gallery more appealing and interesting to visit. Along with sprucing up of the gallery, she plans to put on shows featuring local bands as well as artists of the lyrical type.

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