After 5: Home furnishings retailer Maschino's shares floor space with artists

The arts are getting cozy at Maschino's this month.

Nine artists are loading up the home furnishings retailer with their artwork through the Springfield Regional Arts Council's Art in Public Places program. An opening reception 4:30-6:30 p.m. March 19 at the store, 1715 S. Campbell Ave., kicks off the unique exhibit, which hangs through April 30.

The Arts Council launched its Public Places program in 2007, and this edition puts a twist on it: Eight of the artists are part of SRAC's Artworx Studio, a downtown workspace shared by nearly 20 artists "designed to cultivate creativity and friendships through art," according to the council.

Collaborating at Maschino's are artists Dolores Bauer, Alicia Farris, Joy Hyde, Ann Meese, Jeanie Morris, Angel Nahon, Sandra Strother and Sharon Warren. Ozarks basketry sculptor Peggy Wyman joins the Artworx crew for this exhibit, a mix of paintings and sculptures.

The buy-in by Maschino's owner Nancy Dornan and General Manager Greg Nutting revives something amiss in the store since the 1990s.

"We really haven't done anything like this for at least 10 years," Nutting said, recalling a basket-weaving guild that used to hold competitions in the store. "Nancy has always been involved in supporting community activities whether it be the Gillioz Theatre or starting up Juanita K. Hammons Hall. I think it's a pretty cool idea."

The other side of the coin for Maschino's: "low-tech advertising," Nutting said. The art program is viewed as another vehicle to get shoppers in the door.

"Sometimes people think they know what we have but haven't been in here a while," he said. "You've got to constantly bring in new products and new pieces and get people enthused."

In that vein, Maschino's has long been a processor and distributor of tickets for the downtown First Friday Art Walk and midtown house tours. Organizers of those events tell store management that sometimes up to three-quarters of ticket sales are made at Maschino's.

"If one person out of 20 looks around, it is worth it because they can see what's available," Nutting said.

For the artists, it's a way to get their work in front of a new audience.

"We're kind of an added dimension to Maschino's," said Springfield painter Farris, whose work is represented at Waverly House gallery, 2031 S. Waverly Ave. "It will be a nice mix for their merchandise and our art. It's a great way for people to become aware of what art is available in Springfield."

Other public places displaying SRAC artist works this month and into April are The Center for Plastic Surgery, Greene County Circuit Clerk's office, Fulnecky Law LLC, The Facial Plastic Surgery Offices of Dr. Keith LaFerriere and Dr. Mathew Kienstra, and Guaranty Bank. For exhibit dates, visit www.springfieldarts.org.