{"id":964251,"date":"2026-11-14T14:16:13","date_gmt":"2026-11-14T14:16:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/964251\/"},"modified":"2026-11-14T14:16:13","modified_gmt":"2026-11-14T14:16:13","slug":"gogh-getters-mark-15-years-of-art-in-edwardsville-il","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/964251\/","title":{"rendered":"Gogh-Getters mark 15 years of art in Edwardsville IL"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe\u2019re doing it because we love art,\u201d\u00a0Steve Hartman<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

The Gogh-Getters<\/a> have helped provide that presence for the last 15 years.<\/p>\n

The group, composed of Hartman and fellow artists Kerry Smith, Dave Thomas and Juan Cruz, recently held a joint anniversary celebration and exhibition opening for\u00a0Birdwork by Pam Wolfe, whose found-object sculptures currently adorn the walls at Sacred Grounds Caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n

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Thomas did the math, showing that the Gogh-Getters have now hosted 118 exhibits over the group\u2019s tenure, and Sacred Grounds, 233 N. Main St. in Edwardsville, has served as gallery space for the collective since its inception.<\/p>\n

Some exhibitions showcase returning artists, such as David Yates, Dennis Ringering or Matt Reedy (whose work is also available in sticker form at Thrills Ville), while other artists might partner with the Gogh-Getters for their first show \u2014 as is the case for Pam Wolfe.<\/p>\n

\""Birdwork"<\/p>\n

“Birdwork” by Pam Wolfe is on display through Jan. 10.<\/p>\n

Riley Hansen\/The Intelligencer<\/p>\n

Each of Wolfe\u2019s sculptures is in an antique clock case, which she lines with wallpaper and fills with found objects such as miniature figures, dolls and tiny furniture.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI don\u2019t like to tell people,\u201d Wolfe said about the meaning of her works. \u201cI\u2019d rather they come to their own conclusions or how it speaks to them, but they end up being about ecology.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wolfe has 19 pieces on display, all available for purchase. The sculptures, with titles such as \u201cFinders Keepers,\u201d \u201cGreen Space Dilemma\u201d and \u201cIt\u2019s Not Hoarding If Your Stuff Is Cool,\u201d reflect her process as well as those ecological interests. Birds are a common motif, and ladybugs hide in the crevices.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my opinion, these should be in some major galleries,\u201d Kerry Smith<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

\""Green<\/p>\n

“Green Space Dilemma” is just one piece on display as part of Pam Wolfe’s “Birdwork.”<\/p>\n

Riley Hansen\/The Intelligencer<\/p>\n

Smith is one of the original co-founders of the Gogh-Getters. \u201cOne of my favorite things is for us to give somebody their first opportunity to show,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

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The Gogh-Getters decide together which artists they will showcase next. They have a collective list of names to pull from, but artists can submit their work for consideration on the Gogh-Getters website, and the group often receives interest from word of mouth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThankfully, we have a very good amount of people coming in, and we\u2019re preparing for 2027,\u201d Juan Cruz<\/a> said. Cruz, under the Gogh-Getters name, also curates the art at Cleveland Heath, just down the road at 106 N. Main St.<\/p>\n

\"Artist<\/p>\n

Artist Pam Wolfe uses found objects to create her artworks.<\/p>\n

Riley Hansen\/The Intelligencer<\/p>\n

Dave Thomas<\/a> co-founded the Gogh-Getters with Smith, and the ever-changing shows \u2014 including six exhibits in 2026 \u2014 keep him energized.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m energized by my partners and the people that come to see the openings,\u201d he said. \u201cWorking with the artists \u2014 it\u2019s very fulfilling.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the Gogh-Getters first started, the goal was to promote local artists, whether emerging or established, based in the Metro East.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

An exhibition visitor examines “Birdwork.”<\/p>\n

Riley Hansen\/The Intelligencer<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really gotten much bigger,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had people from Columbia, Missouri \u2014 far-reaching places. I had a friend I was in art school with, who was in Berlin, who shipped a bunch of little drawings. We don\u2019t have any particular look. In fact, the more different things are, the better.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cBirdwork\u201d is on display through Jan. 10 at Sacred Grounds Caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cWe\u2019re doing it because we love art,\u201d\u00a0Steve Hartman said. The Gogh-Getters have helped provide that presence for the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":964252,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[449,458,459,64,63,460,134,44],"class_list":["post-964251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/964251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=964251"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/964251\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/964252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=964251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=964251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=964251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}