By: Clayton L. Luce
GonzoToday
Hundreds of Louisville art supporters turned out today in Germantown for a celebration of the local arts and to provide an artistic showcase for local talents.
The event occurred at Seidenfaden’s bar on Breckinridge and Vine this evening and is one of two incarnations of the event, hosted by Louisville artist Evan Wallace, which occurs twice annually with overtones of exceptional weirdness.
The bar was full of tattooed bikers, chain smoking hipsters and bad alcoholics of every sort. There was a great deal of noise, and with all of the art being sold it was really difficult to get a hold of the thing. There were no good camera angles and I was recording on my smart phone after an angry hippie refused to loan me $30 for a new Nikon battery.
“Evan contacted us about doing the event and we agreed because we love art,” said bar owner Alex Cosby.
The place was crammed with hungry artists, showcasing everything from Ryan Case and his gonzo collection of Hollywood horrors, to comic illustrator Russell Jackson and the photography of Rachael Banks, whose serenity seemed somehow out of place amidst the generally wild undertones of the crowd.
It was a beautiful yet terrible scene from all sides of the room, and an overall victory for the local underground art scene and for Creative Freedom Fighters in general within the Louisville area.
“We’ve got a lot of artists this year, and a lot of them are underexposed,” said event organizer Evan Wallace, “the galleries are real competitive here…so I wanted to organize something on a smaller level where the artists didn’t have to pay to get in and they could keep all their profits.”
And if whiskey, artists and the local patched and bearded “gun club” fraternity members of the New Bloodtubs weren’t enough, local smoke maestro Warren Cox of Bourbon Street BBQ was on the corner offering barbecue pork, beef and good hearted conversation. The smoke from his portable barbecue pit lingered above the bar in a thick cloud, while the nearby smokers outside coughed and hacked and crushed snarled cigarette butts into the ash receptacle outside.
“These artist need people to support them and to come see what they do, and that’s what I think is really important about this event,” said Wallace, who suddenly brandished a giant sword and then ducked back inside of the crowded pub.