The gallery will be closed July 11-15.
We will reopen at 6:00PM on July 16
for Open Studio Night
Join us Saturday July 16!
Every third Saturday of the month the 16 studio artists at Gallery on First welcome art lovers to their Open Studio event from 6-9pm. Enjoy complimentary refreshments and stroll the gallery halls to meet the artists and get a glimpse of their latest work. We have a couple of new artists this month. Come out and meet them and hear about their artistic journey. This event is located in charming Historic Downtown Sanford.
Click Here for Facebook Event:
SATURDAY, JULY 30, 2022 10 AM – 6 PM
Christmas in July SHOPPING EVENT in Historic Downtown Sanford
Join us Saturday, July 30th from 10am-6pm for our annual Christmas in July Shopping Event featuring some amazing deals brought to you by the independent retailers of Historic Downtown Sanford!
Enjoy food & drink specials from participating bars and restaurants and spend a great day browsing and shopping on our brick-lined streets!
Be sure to stop by the Sanford Information Center at 230 E 1st St in Historic Downtown Sanford to pick up your shopping passport to enter to win our raffle for local merchants gift cards from our Sanford Mercantile Association.
Don't forget to turn in your fully stamped passport to be entered into the raffle by 6:30pm for our 7pm drawing, at the Sanford Information Center.
Gallery On First Welcomes Andrew McMillen
As a multi-disciplinary artist Andrew has acquired a varied skillset over the course of his 15-year career. Beginning as a multimedia designer he now specializes in UX/UI design at Electronic Arts. Currently residing in Sanford, Florida he continues to practice in the mediums that were his foundation as a designer; ink and watercolor.
A penchant for drawing took hold early in his youth while Andrew grew up in rural Ohio. From watching public television and classic cartoons to reading history and works of fantasy, inspiration came in many forms. Later on his propensity for drawing solidified into a love for art while earning a BFA in Visual Communication & Design from Indiana University.
Through hours of en plein air painting and perspective drawing Andrew has developed an ever growing visual library to create work that is both familiar and fantastical.
To learn more about Andrew and his work visit amcmillen.com
Instagram: @am.musing
Gallery On First Welcomes
April Hawkins
We are thrilled to welcome April Hawkins to Gallery on First! A Sanford native, April is a self-described shy fire sign that absorbs artistic inspiration from her travels. Two of her favorite places are New Orleans and Mexico – it’s easy to see these destinations’ vivacious influence on her work.
Before she was a full-time artist, April worked as a shop girl at tattoo parlors and as a bail bondsman. It was there where she connected deeply with humanity, love, tragedy, and irony too. Her old school acrylic paintings are a welcome addition to the walls of Gallery on First! Stop by to see them for yourself.
Instagram: @lovleee
The Picnic Project
We would like to introduce you to a local Sanford organization providing our community with free access to food, clothing, and a slew of other vital resources – The Picnic Project. (PP)
This non-profit is run by a group of dedicated volunteers that serve our local community in almost every way –from providing a fully stocked food pantry to offering complimentary haircuts to liaising access to birth control, healthcare, and daycare.
One of the most needed items is men's clothing. As one of PP's volunteers put it "Women will go through their wardrobes but it's harder to get men to do the same." Local friends- ask your husbands, brothers, dads and anyone else who has unwanted men’s clothing to donate!
For the rest of the summer, Gallery On First will be holding a clothing drive. We will have a donation box here in our gallery to make it easy to participate.
Out of town friends- If you are not located in our area but with to help, please consider donating to the cause at PicnicProject.org
Congratulations to Jennifer Payne Jennifer Payne’s work is now part of a permanent online exhibition for the Woman in the Arts: Celebrating the Genius of Woman 10 Year Retrospective on Google Arts and Culture. This is the first arts’ organization in Orlando to have works on Google Arts and Culture alongside major cultural institutions such as Moma, The Tate, and the Met. Women In The Arts