A fresh new take on local artistry

The Mint Gallery Art + Artisan is celebrating a year of bringing dynamic art to downtown Bristol

By Christy Nadalin
Posted 9/28/17

Ethan Tucker's definition of "art" is wonderfully broad, and that definition and vision infuses everything that has been going on behind the doors of The Mint Gallery in Bristol for the past year."I …

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A fresh new take on local artistry

The Mint Gallery Art + Artisan is celebrating a year of bringing dynamic art to downtown Bristol

Posted

Ethan Tucker's definition of "art" is wonderfully broad, and that definition and vision infuses everything that has been going on behind the doors of The Mint Gallery in Bristol for the past year.

"I try to be different," Tucker said. "Art encompasses not just painting and sculpture, but also fashion and even food. I want to look at it from another angle and think of what we can offer to the community."

In the one year it has been open, The Mint Gallery has done just that, hosting events ranging from a Day of the Dead celebration to runway shows for Rhode Island's own Fashion Week. Mint is also a traditional gallery, with over 30 artists showing photographs, paintings, and three-dimensional works in clay and glass. Tucker focuses on local artists, true to Mint's tag line, "leveraging local assets in creativity." Tucker understandably has a keen appreciation for all things local.

Born and raised by parents Barbara and Mark, just a couple of blocks away from Mint, Tucker is a 1994 graduate of Mount Hope High School and a 1998 graduate of Roger Williams University, He is intimately familiar with downtown Bristol and the space that would eventually house Mint. "I felt it could be brighter, and more vibrant," he said. "I didn't want to open a museum, I wanted a business that would be a lot of fun."

The space itself, at 433 Hope Street, is a vibrant work of art in itself; bright and airy with warm antique floorboards and a cool tin ceiling. "Its character lends itself to interesting events," Tucker said. He stages these events with the able assistance of a full and part time staff of gallery assistants, a business development manager, interns, and the media professionals that staff Mint Media, a content and creation lab housed in a back space within the gallery. Recent projects have included promotional videos for the East Bay Food Pantry and the Oliver Hazard Perry, Rhode Island's own Tall Ship. "I'm only as good as my team," Tucker said.

Coming off a big year that included Mint's launch and expansion, Tucker is going to take a moment to celebrate the anniversary on September 30 before looking forward. He is continuing to refine Mint's business model, actively outreach to both established and up-and-coming artists, and welcoming the public to non-traditional gallery events. He's particularly looking forward to expanding his offering of culinary events.

In the meantime, his well-curated collection of artworks, ranging from stunning large-format landscapes to abstract portraits and hand-blown glass vessels, continue to sell themselves. "This notion that art is hard to buy as a gift? We're throwing that out the window," he said. "Visitors see works in the windows, and they remember them and call when they return home. That's what I had hoped — that our windows would draw the eye, both day and night."

The Mint Gallery's one-year anniversary party will be held this Saturday, Sept. 30 at 6:30 p.m. It's free and open to the public. For more information visit themintgallery.com.

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.