AWARD-WINNING GLASS ARTIST MARY HONG EXPANDS BRAND, BUSINESS TO THE SOUTHEAST BY OPENING
A NEW MARY HONG GALLERY IN NASHVILLE, TENN.
GRAYTON BEACH, FLORIDA (July 31, 2017) – This summer the Southeast is sparkling a little brighter. Award-winning glass artist Mary Hong announces the opening of her sixth art gallery. Doors to the first Mary Hong Gallery located in Nashville, Tennessee will officially open on Tuesday, Aug. 1. Hong who is based on the Emerald Coast owns and operates the original Mary Hong Gallery located in The Shops of Grayton in Grayton Beach, Fla. and recently has expanded her make-your-own-art boutique called The Shard Shop from the original Grayton Beach location to the Paradise Isle Shopping Center in Destin and on famed Magazine Street in New Orleans. Mary Hong Gallery is a contemporary art gallery whose mission is to bring exposure to artists from Florida’s Gulf Coast region to Nashville’s vibrant art scene while giving Nashville artists another venue to exhibit their work. The gallery features Hong’s award-winning glass art paintings made with her trademarked ShardWorx™ process — artwork made with glass and resin on canvas. Her newest signature gallery is in the heart of the city, located on the ground floor of the Bank of America building (corner of 4th Avenue North and Union Street) near to the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The Grand Opening has been planned in concert with the Downtown Nashville First Saturday Art Crawl, which is August 5, from 6-9 p.m. “My dream to bring the vibrant arts scene of the Emerald Coast to Nashville is finally coming together!” Hong says. “I am so honored and humbled to be able to join the soulful and ever expanding arts scene in Nashville by opening a Mary Hong Gallery.” Store hours for the Nashville location are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This latest opening is a further step forward toward realizing Hong’s long term vision to expand both her artwork and name brand nationwide. “I want to share my passion for glass art making with the world!” she says. A professional artist for 23 years, Hong considers herself “a glass artist who paints” and has participated in group and solo exhibitions in the U.S. and France. She opened the flagship Mary Hong Gallery in Grayton Beach in 2012 and added the first hands-on art-making studio, The Shard Shop in 2015. Hong is the proud recipient of the 2014 Artist of the Year award from the South Walton Tourist Development Council. Locally, a collection of her work can be seen throughout the Salamander Spa at The Henderson, the new luxury resort hotel in Destin. Hong recently was selected as a special category winner of the [PLATFORM] Artist of the Year 2016. The prestigious international art competition produced by Redwood Media Group and sponsored by Art Brand Studios selected Mary Hong at the first-place winner for Mixed Media. As a special category winner Mary Hong was invited to exhibit her artwork on at Spectrum Miami during Miami Art Week. Last winter she participated in a Group Exhibit at Bev’s Fine Art in Raleigh, N.C. and this past spring she exhibited in San Diego and at Art Expo New York at Pier 94 in New York City. Hong recently showcased her work at Art Santa Fe in New Mexico as part of Redwood Media Group’s International Art Festivals. Twice a month she creates pre-ordered artwork for customers in real time during ShardWorx ™ Live, which is streamed on Facebook. Visit her MaryHongStudio.com and follow Mary Hong Studio on Facebook for dates and times. Hong is passionate about glass and the artful magic of glass painting. “To me even if glass is broken, it is still beautiful and I love how a painting can put it all back together,” says Hong. “I slather glass with gold and silver leaf, then mix it with other shattered remains of lamps, dinnerware and lately, an old shower door. I like imagining the stories glass could tell.” Hong’s work is available for viewing and purchase at Mary Hong Studio Gallery in Grayton Beach, Florida and online at MaryHongStudio.com. For more information on The Shard Shop, call (850) 842-4440.
ABOUT MARY HONG
From masterful paintings on canvas to ornate shell mirrors, Mary Hong has caught worldwide attention of contemporary art enthusiasts. Travel brought her creativity, imagination and inspiration. Workshops and self-teaching allowed her to play with many mediums. She developed a unique art form that combines paint and glass on canvas that is sold in eight states including seven galleries in Florida, and can be viewed on-line at MaryHongStudio.com. Her work has been featured in local, regional and national media outlets. After earning a degree in design from the University of Wisconsin-Madison she began a lifetime of travel abroad. A professional artist for 23 years, she has participated in group and solo exhibitions in the U.S. and France and was the recipient of the 2014 Artist of the Year award from the Walton County Florida Tourist Development Council. Mary Hong currently owns and operates six galleries in Destin, Fla., Grayton Beach, Fla., New Orleans, La. and Nashville, Tenn. She lives in Destin, Florida with her husband, their twins — and a lot of glass.
