Open invite to RAP180 social @ Underbelly 01.21.10

[grimss]

From RAP's website:
RAP180 is a new networking group being formed by some of our community’s most energetic residents and business owners. The goal of RAP180 is to reach out to people who are interested in being change agents in their neighborhood, and bring them together for fun, informal gatherings where ideas are exchanged and initiatives developed. Each month, socials will be held on the 3rd Thursday evening at various watering holes in the district. RAP180 is open to anyone who lives, works, or owns a business in the historic district who wants to help make our neighborhood an amazing place to live.

If this sounds like you, please come to the group’s first gathering, Thursday, January 21, at Underbelly, 5 Point’s coolest new hot spot. The group will seek agreement on a neighborhood initiative or project as part of the purpose of the group; present ideas include a free bicycles project, neighborhood street dances and wall murals in 5 Points.

(Tried to post the invite but couldn't--why can't I ever figure this out??)

[fsu813]

Sounds like a lot of fun.

[grimss]

The people who are organizing it are great--Emily Moody of Anomaly, Shea Slemmer of the late Flux, a couple of young attorneys and one gal who is a Senior Manager for Google are among the initiators. The space, Underbelly, is super cool and actually has its own tree house! Worth a look.

[A-Finnius]

What time does this start?

[fsu813]

In the back of a Five Points clothing store, there's a door disguised as a bookcase.

Behind the door, there's a quaint bar topped with an old door painted robin-egg blue. Stemmed glassware hangs from above, and there are a few tables and booths.

It's the Underbelly, a wine bar/art gallery slated to open later this month.

The 650-square-foot space inside Anomaly on Park Street was once a storage facility, a dress shop and a recording studio.

Shea Slemmer, 33, of Springfield and Anomaly's owner, Emily Moody, also of Springfield, have converted it into a cozy place to have a drink and look at art created by local contemporary artists.

They have filled a larger outdoor space with tables and overhead twinkle lights. They plan to have a stage built for live entertainers.

Slemmer, whose passion is painting, once owned Flux, a studio gallery in Five Points that closed in September because of the economic downturn.

She said Underbelly is her way of downsizing, restructuring and getting back to the work she loves: introducing new artists, one at a time, to Jacksonville.

"There really is a great budding art scene in Jacksonville," Slemmer said. "To nurture it, we need places for artists to show their work in a professional setting. Like this."

Slemmer plans to feature one artist every month, with debuts coinciding with First Fridays in Five Points, when businesses stay open late and offer discounts and live music.

She will accept open submissions for artists, for no charge. Already, she has promoted artists on her 3-month-old blog, jaxunderbelly.com. On the blog, she interviews the artist and posts photographs of the artist's face, which aren't always seen, she said.

Meanwhile, Slemmer's paintings appear at various locations in Springfield and Riverside. She will also display some of her work at Underbelly.

Underbelly will be open 3-10 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays and 3-midnight Fridays and Saturdays.


http://jacksonville.com/community/the_sun/2010-01-02/story/underbelly_a_wine_barart_gallery_slated_to_open_in_five_points_0

[grimss]

What time does this start?

It's from 6:30 till 8:30 @ 1021 Park Street. If the gods of MetJAX can help me decode their image upload, I will happily post the invite. (Actually, the FLICR link is embedded in my first post; just can't figure the rest out.)

[A-Finnius]

I'll be there.  Looking forward to meeting some more of my neighbors.