Yelm’s InGenius! Artisan Gallery now a Thurston Bountiful Byway partner
From InGenius Local Artisan Gallery & Boutique on Facebook:
InGenius Local Artisan Gallery & Boutique is thrilled to have been unanimously voted to be included as a Thurston Bountiful Byway partner! This earns us a place on the map in Yelm along with Yelm Farmers Market and Prairie Hotel. At the gallery, we’re learning that not so many people know about it, which we think is unfortunate, so…
From www.experienceolympia.com, ”The Thurston Bountiful Byway is a 60-mile loop tour covering rural Thurston County, promoting the agricultural aspects of our region including farms, farmers markets selling product produced locally and businesses sourcing from local farms. The route starts in the Nisqually Valley, stretches south to the city of Yelm and west to the Capital Forest before ending at the intersection of Mud Bay Road and Delphi Road SW. Along the way you can explore dozens of special stops and activities including creameries, nurseries, wineries, sculpture gardens, and historic sites. There are more than 20 suggested agricultural, ecological and cultural stops along the Bountiful Byway. Pick a day and stop at as many attractions as time allows.”
YELM’S INGENIUS! GALLERY & BOUTIQUE INTRODUCES OVER-THE-TOP CUSTOM FRAMING AND WOODWORKING
From the Press Release:
YELM, WA, October 11, 2022 – InGenius! Local Artisan Gallery & Boutique in Yelm is excited to officially announce Over-the-top Custom Framing & Woodworking.
InGenius! co-owner Diego Fleitas is the mastermind behind the custom frame and woodworking shop at the year-old gallery, located in the heart of Yelm’s shopping district.
Fleitas grew up in Uruguay working in his family’s frame & glass shop. From a young age, he also learned carpentry. Now he brings the two skills together and reimagines what a frame can be. Using exotic hardwoods, he and his team build every frame by hand. The same is true for woodworking projects with live edge wood and resin.
The InGenius! special sauce is Fleitas’ focus on both multifunctionality and collaboration. He gives customers the option to add additional features to their projects. If it can be a beautiful wall hanging but also a serving tray, why not?
According to the website, each project includes an in-depth consultation with Fleitas so he can learn what a client wants and then spark their imagination with ideas they most likely wouldn’t have occurred to them. But conversely, clients who come with unusual framing ideas get his mind fired up.
Some projects include collaborations with InGenius! artists. A current project for a cat’s memorial shadow box will include work by featured InGenius! artist Michelle Osborne who has the uncanny ability to create 3D needle-felted pet portraits. Fleitas will incorporate Michelle’s custom-felted cat in the finished keepsake along with elements like paw prints provided by the veterinarian.
The InGenius! response to the ever-decreasing quality of most everything in the marketplace these days is a return to the quality of long ago when things were made to last more than just one lifetime and handed down from one generation to the next.
He is inspired by companies like Shopsmith where they build tools with this mindset. “They thought about the future when they designed their woodworking system,” Fleitas says.
The InGenius! mission is to serve as a dynamic arts hub dedicated to the growth of local artists and artisans who create, innovate, and educate to enrich our community.
InGenius! Local Artisan Gallery & Boutique is a hyper-local art gallery, gift boutique, custom frame, and class space in Yelm, WA.
If you would like more information about this content, please contact Andrea Levanti at 360-999-9216 or ingeniusgallery@gmail.com.