A.R.I.

Artist Run Initiative (ARI) is an education and training program. Our exclusive collaboration with our community partners, offers an artist-run initiative style project. Organized by ThinkArt!, managed by its Visual Arts Atelier, and with participating visual artists to present their and others' projects and body of work. We offer an approximate experience to a traditional art gallery space in appearance and function, or it may take a markedly different approach, limited only by the artist's understanding and involvement . "Artist-run initiatives" is our umbrella name for many types of artist generated activity.

ARI is dedicated to serving the entire arts community, placing ThinkArt! participating artists' work(s) on view with emphasis on illuminating and reinforcing our support of the local art community and community-at-large. ThinkArt! artists consist of a diverse group, from aspiring art students, professional artists and artisans, and many more. ThinkArt! strives to create a system that values creativity and opportunities for artists to showcase their skills and talents.

ARI Program is no longer available

We like to honor our Artists by having their previous works be permanently showcased digitally here for everyone to continue providing support for our local artists.

Chronological Listing by Show Dates:

Yobana Graciano August - September 2012

Art has always been my happiness and my sanity. Becoming an artist is an addictive and self exploratory process which has seen me through many of life's
trials. Often, my work is an autobiographical expression that analyzes my subconscious thoughts and feelings. With every painting, drawing, and print I delve further and further into my most inert self exploring my history, my frustrations, and my desire for change through this self scrutiny. All this while struggling to respect the formal obligations of my cultural background as a Hispanic female.

The female figure is a prevalent recurring theme that embodies human sensibility, beauty, fragility, strength,
fleeting desires, and dissatisfaction. The feminine form sometimes appear as if in a dreamlike state of mind mystified by a transitional in motion. In other instances the figure is a self representation of the emotions, and battles my narcissistic mind deals with.

Oil painting, drawing, and printmaking have become my weapons of choice in this journey of self exploration.

Printmaking refers to processes such as screen printing, etching, and lithography. These ediums grant me the ability to experiment with textured papers, cloth, color, and pigments of various viscosity. Enjoying the process of each medium is as much a part of the final work as the work itself.

Each piece begins with the need to tell a story pertaining to the prevailing feeling, opinion, or qualm over a subject. My hyper attention to detail focuses on the technical aspects of each process as well as the language of the image. The materials chosen have facilitated the self analytic obsession by facilitating the production of bold imagery through the unique processes required for each medium.

This selection of work deals with how the love of their creation has kept me happy and sane by giving me the ability to bring into fruition the suppressed subconscious tendencies of my mind. A dialogue has been opened with myself through the work and has also created a venue for its viewers to span on their own interpretations and inner beings.
- Yobi Graciano

PABLO FERREYRA MAY - JULY 2013

Recently graduated College of Southern Nevada (CSN) student and currently volunteer as ThinkArt! Visual Arts Ambassador.

The idea of biological and mechanical convergence is nothing new. But as our lives are increasingly dependent on technology, this idea is more of a reality. The lines between what is purely biological or purely mechanical are continually being blurred.

The sketches presented are representations of these blurred lines. A mesh of two entities at opposite ends of a spectrum in form and function, trying to relate to one another.

BRETT O'CONNOR MAY - JULY 2012

My art work takes a critical view of modern medicine, spirituality, teen rebellion, common law verses traditional marriages, beloved ancestry secrets and knowledge, feminism, family trauma, and feeling like a or a lost soul.

Each of my projects consists of multiple media, but are most of the time, very abstract and grouped around these specific theme's and meanings.

- Brett O'Connor

HERB RUSSEL MARCH - APRIL 2012

Originally from Chicago. Herb learned a lot about art at the U of I in Champaign/Urbana but is mostly self-taught. His art career got side-tracked into advertising, marketing, and sales. Now, as a senior doing what he loves, making art. Herb like to produce art that goes from portraits, abstracts, and to his Hares series.

Elaine Maier November - December 2011

Elaine Maier is an illustrator living and working in Las Vegas Nevada. She works primarily in gouache, acrylic, pencil and colored pencil. Her art appears on a variety of products including greeting cards and giftware, jigsaw puzzles, textiles and t-shirts.

Elaine is originally from Addison Illinois, and a graduate of Ray-Vogue College of Design in Chicago. She began her career as a fashion illustrator for retail advertising and display. From there, opportunities arose in the stationery industry and eventually led to the greeting card market. In 1990, she moved to Las Vegas where she has been raising a family and free-lancing for a variety of clients. She is represented by Creative Connection Inc. in Baltimore Maryland. She has continued to expand artistically and creatively, exploring new areas of commercial art and fine art.

Steven Talbott October - November 2011

Steven Talbot was born in San Francisco, CA. and resident of Las Vegas, NV. Steven developed his skills and talents at an early age. He has worked as a graphic and mural artist; event and set designer; and glass fabrication. Today, Steven is pursuing his new career path, venturing into children’s book illustration and fine art.

Famous Aliens series, Steven has drawn references from famous and historical works of art to express “we are not alone” in the universe. This series question, “What would our famous paintings and sculptures look like?”