The Art Club of McKinney will release “Pa Limits” in its Kettle Art debut this weekend

Deep Ellum's Kettle Art Gallery sometimes feels like a beacon calling artists from across the Dallas-Fort Worth community and beyond. Take, for example, the first Saturday show with the long-running McKinney Art Club.

Club president Kathryn Ikle has heard about Kettle Art since moving to Texas in 2019, but didn't get a chance to visit the place until a few months ago.

“When I moved, I was looking for an art community and it was right before COVID, and I had seen about the Kettle Art Gallery and never got a chance to visit because of COVID,” Ikle says. “After COVID, I got involved in the art community and got busy doing a lot of things. I actually went downtown a few months ago and visited.”

Frank Campagna, founder of Kettle Art, says Ikle paid him, his wife and the gallery's marketing director Paula Harris a visit. They hit it off, and like her, Ikle found a new space to share her club's prolific output of artwork.

“(Harris) was looking for new artists,” says Ikle. “So we decided to collaborate together.”

The meeting that took five years to happen led to the emergence of the club “Pa Limits”. The club and gallery will hold an opening night reception from 4-7pm during the Deep Ellum Wine Walk on Saturday.

“She came in one day and took a look around and liked the gallery,” says Campagna. “We just had an opening. So we were like, let's see what you've got.”

The Art Club of McKinney will celebrate its 110th anniversary on November 10, making it the oldest art club in the state. They have collected 50 works of art from 25 artists for her “No Limits” gallery.

As the title implies, there are no limits to the types, styles, and even mediums of the works in the McKinney Art Club collection.

“I was looking for artwork that was a little more imaginative, if that makes sense, for a downtown audience,” says Ikle. “I was looking for different mediums, subjects and perspectives and also tried to bring together artists with different personalities and different backgrounds.”

One of the most surprising pieces in “Pa Limits” is not a painting. It is neither a sculpture nor a photograph. It's a dress – a wedding dress, to be exact.

Multidisciplinary artist Celeste Seitz contributed a mixed media piece called “Ain't No Wifey” to the McKinney Art Club show. It's a wedding dress that looks like it's been embellished with graffiti to make it look a little more punk, showing her love and natural talent for street and protest art to evoke some strong emotions.

“She makes many different kinds of statements in her artwork,” says Ikle.

Other works in Kettle Art's new gallery include a print called “Koi Journey” by Ikle, a vibrant work of color and abstract form called “Looking Down from Above” by Jean Turner and an abstract geometric work called “Renewed by Green” by Myryn. Elizabeth Clark.

The Art Club of McKinney may be the oldest art collective in the state, but these and other works clearly show how active, vibrant and inspired they continue to be. The group educates its community about the importance and impact of artistic expression. However, Ikle says his goal is to “promote and inspire new generations” of young and exciting artists.

“We're really focused on developing young artists and helping them develop personally and professionally,” says Ikle.

Kettle Art is a natural fit for the Art Club of McKinney. Campagna and Harris have sought out works from emerging artists around the world for her popular Deep Ellum gallery since opening day. Both still work to shine a light on young talent and give it a jolt to start new and exciting careers.

“They're different from a lot of galleries,” Ikle says. “On their website, they actually say they're interested in supporting artists, and a lot of people say that, but when you go in and talk to Paula and Frank, they tell you they're actually interested in partnering, cooperation and support. the arts just by the way they speak to you. They are interested in artists, and they are interested in artists. They are open to ideas, where some galleries are not. Kettle is interested in trying different things and appealing to a wide audience.”

Kettle Art Gallery is located in Deep Ellum at 2650-B Main Street. GOING here for more details.