By By JAMES COLLINS / Niles Daily Star
NILES -- The Niles Art Association will hold a reception to feature its artwork at the Riverfront Cafe tonight, beginning at 7 p.m.
The diverse artwork of the local group will be on display all month long in the gallery located upstairs at the Riverfront Cafe.
Hope Robinson, president of the Niles Art Association, said several of its current members revived the group last year after years without having one in Niles.
The group is currently made up of 24 members.
She said some of those media include oil painting, photography and pastels.
Members of the association pointed to Darren Smith's "Salute to a Veteran" as one of the exhibit's most impressive pieces. The painting of the soon-to-be old Niles fire station, which hangs near the cafe's entrance, is so life-like that it could easily be mistaken for a photograph.
Robinson said the association will eventually have a regular art gallery in downtown Niles at the Fisher Building located at 306 Main St. The gallery will be free of charge and may be open as early as sometime this month.
Future plans for the Niles Art Association include providing art classes for the public and planning a Niles art fair.
Robinson said they are currently trying to get an art fair in downtown Niles for this summer.
The association is also responsible for helping the Riverfront Cafe to bring different art exhibits to their gallery each month.
Next month's exhibit will feature art from award winning oil painter, Verna Carpenter.