Heritage Art Center in Columbus welcomes Artist Anonymous to present “Cyclical”

Artist Anonymous or Anon presented “Cyclical” at the Heritage Art Center. The idea was to show that the art community is still thriving.
Published: Jun. 5, 2023 at 3:49 PM EDT|Updated: Jun. 5, 2023 at 7:36 PM EDT

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - Over the weekend in the Fountain City, an art show allowed creators to showcase their pieces.

Artist Anonymous or Anon presented “Cyclical” at the Heritage Art Center. The idea was to show that the art community is still thriving and help creators in a special way.

Established four years ago, the co-founder of Anon, Sammie Saxon, shares the group’s vision:

“Anon was created to promote a community committed to artistic integrity and inclusion, representing the diverse voices of our region. Through accessibility, we aim to empower artists and engage in community through inclusive exhibitions.”

Anon’s exhibit encouraged inclusivity by not charging artists a fee to have their masterpieces in the show, which can be unusual.

“In the art world, a lot of galleries want you to pay a lot of money, and if you’re not a super established artist, chances are you are not going to sell anything,” says artist Jaclayvious Emmanuel. “I guess it’s almost like having a house party. It’s like all your friends get together and do something cool. It’s like showing people, ‘Hey, we do stuff, we make things’”.

Some featured artists included Perry Valentine and Matthew Moye.

One visitor of the exhibit, who is an artist herself, Mia Smith, says seeing new works of art is always nice.

“Being from Columbus, I think this a really cool thing to have because you don’t have a lot of art representation, and there’s a lot of artists here,” says Smith.

Heritage Art Center is an artist cooperative spot, owner Karen Ouzts says she’s glad to be a part of the show.

“It gives artists the opportunity to do what they want to do, so if they have a valid idea they have a way to pull it off, I give them the space to do it. It really makes me energized and validated to see my vision come to life through their visions,” says Ouzts.

When asked about the show, Saxon says it’s a great feeling.

“It allowed us to include as many artists as we could into a free space, give them a chance to show some of their work to a new demographic of viewers, and we’re thankful for a gallery owner that lets us pretty much do what we want,” says Saxon.