Local Love: Aurora Arts and Design Center

We may be surrounded by hay fields and grape vines, but there is a surprisingly broad variety of places to go and things to see in our little neck of the woods.  We're happy to introduce you to a place that holds a place in our hearts.  We asked our friend, Phoebe, for a little review and enjoy reading about her journey through the space. 

Aurora Art and Design not only sits in the heart of Aurora, New York, but has become the warming hearth where local artists come together, as it is known as the Mall of Aurora. Upon Arrival, the sweet essence of beauty captivates you into a whirlwind of color: intricate jewelry sparkles when it captures the sunlight, photographs of sunsets on Cayuga Lake that seem too real to be true, antique wooden furniture that brings the warmth of home. 

In the Artisans Collection, I find a room full of art that appeals to both the tall and the small from Dr. Seuss school desks to beautiful painted furniture, hand sculpted animal pottery, quilts. Delicate handmade jewelry daintily dangles all around the room. There are beaded pieces, glass pieces, enamel, and polymer clay pieces. The artwork ranges from paintings to drawings and then to photographs. Everything artsy could be found in the collection and all from local artists. “We get new artists all the time,” Jacci Farlow tells me.

Next, I find myself strolling through Alexander Millen’s Antiques and Accessories. The area allows home and worldliness to collide to form a peaceful atmosphere. First, my eyes naturally take me to the jewelry tables. They sparkle and shimmer as the sunlight hits them through the windows. There are wooden tables that the jewelry rests on that makes me think of home, yet there are dishes on them from China and all around the world, both far and near. I find local jams and products nestled around the edges.

 I walk into the photo gallery and look at the unbelievable photography – of the Aurora Inn, of Wells College, of Cayuga Lake. The sky is on fire, the buildings are captured with an eye I hadn’t noticed before. The effect is quite jaw dropping, worthy of being rendered speechless by such exquisite beauty.  Walking into the Trillium Gallery, I am engulfed in a world of still life that captures an world almost unreal – of local buildings and agriculture. The Trillium Gallery offers family portraits.

Everything is different, but everything is beautiful at the Aurora Art and Design Center. Stop by yourself and prepare to me ensconced in a world of beauty like I was.

Thank you so much, Phoebe, for a lovely review!