CEDAR CITY – With only 11 days to pull off the presentation, Cedar City’s newest art gallery, Artisans, opened last Friday with a packed house, offering a wide range of art for those in attendance to enjoy and purchase.

It was a beautiful evening and the first couple hours were so busy there was barely enough room for the hundreds of pieces lining the walls and decorating tables. Jammed wall to wall with people the happy smiles of those who worked so hard to pull off the event were evidence of how the night was going.

Several pieces were sold at the event including a clay pot sculpted by SUU junior Skylar Bird.

Bird said he was having a great time but was glad the crowd thinned a bit as the night went on because it had been difficult to breathe in there earlier.

“It’s great to have a gallery in Cedar City that helps you to get your work shown and sold,” Bird said. “It’s nice to be able to say on a resume that you have had pieces sold in a gallery. That’s a good career boost for later in your career.”

This was Bird’s first gallery showing and the piece he sold was called “green bottle.” It was high fired in an updraft kiln on SUU’s campus, meaning its temperature is at a cone ten and there are no additional additives put in during the firing or toward the end of the firing.

“The number of people who came out to support us from the community was amazing,” Bird said. “I was surprised to see so many at the event; I never thought it would go over so big.”

Many of the local artists whose work was displayed were there showing off their unique flair and happily answering any and all questions about their work.

Melissa Sullivan, gallery director, said she was also blown away by the turnout.

“This whole night has just been fantastic, can you believe it looks this great in here,” Sullivan said. “We are just so happy to see everyone coming out and relaxing. We tried to create an ambiance that welcomes the viewers in and allows them to feel at home.”

Sullivan said that the gallery has more to offer than just the viewing and sale of local artists work – there is also studio space for rent.

“For $50 a month you can have a studio room all your own that has fantastic North lighting coming in and good creative space,” Sullivan said. “Plus the location is convenient.”

In all, the gallery sold 10 or 12 pieces sold that night Sullivan said, and it is being considered a tremendous success.

Debra Johnson, an SUU student and employee of the Braithwaite Art Gallery on campus, volunteered the 11 days prior to Artisans opening, helping to design and display all the artists’ work.

“I just hope everyone likes what I did and how it all turned out,” Johnson said. “I have been working on it for days, just hanging and hanging and hanging work.”

Johnson was not present that night to get a reaction but everyone there said they were very pleased with the presentation.

Artisans is at 150 W. Center St. and they are open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.