Cyber Art 509 show opens at museum

MOSES LAKE — Paintings, photography, art glass, ceramics and collage, all the work of eastern Washington artists, will be on display through April 20 at the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center. The opening reception for the work of artists in the “Cyber Art 509” group was Friday.

The works of about 28 eastern Washington artists are on display. The group started as an online artists cooperative, and its website is the thread that ties its members together. “They stay virtually connected across this wide geographical area,” said museum director Freya Liggett.

Most of the artists live and work around the Tri-Cities area, said Patrick Fleming, the group’s director. But “everybody is invited to join,” he said, especially in the 509 area code. Its artists work in all mediums.

“We’re not picky (about members),” he said. “We just want to share our vision. The final step in the creative process is sharing the vision.”

The museum show includes oil and acrylic landscapes, photographs, pen and ink drawings. Artists submitted woodwork (bowls and ornaments), and a collage made from apple crate labels. Fleming, a ceramic artist, is displaying pots. For some of his works he uses clay from deposits near Othello.

One of the group’s goals is to encourage artists who might otherwise be hesitant to display their works, he said. Not all works will speak to all viewers, he said, but his group encourages artists to take the chance to display what they’ve made.

“I hope they (viewers) have some sort of emotional reaction,” said Ed David, who has a painting in the show. Whether they like it or not is less important than that they have a reaction to it, he said.

Fleming said Moses Lake residents should appreciate the space the museum provides for art and history exhibits. “This is stunning,” he said, and it has no equivalent in Tri-Cities.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.