FROM THE PUBLISHER

from the curator/publisher, Ron Shelton

High Art Fridays (HAF) began in November of 2013 on my personal facebook page. Each Thursday night I’d peruse a vast amount of art on Pinterest and select several artists to be included in the HAF Gallery Show. I began numbering each special Friday from the inception. I kept this tradition in place for over one year, but I grew exhausted from working until 3 to 4 am Thursday nights to make the deadline.  We have moved away from numbering special shows, now it is our goal to publish two or three stories each month.  I will periodically publish our early shows which originally appeared on our facebook group page.  I have discovered many artists around the world. For the past three years, the HAF facebook group has been assembling an array of talent. We have become sort of a global family without borders, engaging, learning, and discovering art that most of us would never have encountered without this group — a unique benefit.

Launching www.highartfridays.com on April fools day 2016, is the 3rd phase of the group’s development. I am delighted to engage this platform, for I believe HAF has a unique appreciation for a specific and often ignored art genre.  
 

HAF has incorporated categories from its facebook model: “art now…as social, political and historical commentaries” addressing, via art, the unique position our earth has found itself as it relates to social, political, historical, and environmental platforms. It is our goal to stimulate open dialogue on these issues, and are areas that HAF will continue to develop.

We now have over 2,000 members from the USA, Netherlands, Japan, Australia, Serbia, Austria, Africa, Iran, Turkey, and other nations across the globe. This unique level of diversity is what makes the group so important; it represents a shared aesthetic not bound by sex, race, religion, or language. My travels to Italy in the fall of 2015, and meeting Carl Heyward, USA, founder of the Global Arts Project (GAP) and other GAP members (Akiko Suzuki, Japan; Vered Gersztenkorn, Israel: Ron Weijers, Netherlands; Mario Catalano, Italy; Monica Lisi, Italy; Glen Rogers, Mexico, and John Crabtree, England) were delightfully eye-opening experiences.

I am very appreciative of Nate Paige and Carol Heft as contributing editors/editorial writers. Special thanks to my niece, Mycah Shelton, for her contributions during her summer intern with HAF, the development of the HAF logo, business cards, and brochure. To all HAF members/Artists who have allowed me to publish their works, thank you! This is our project!! Visit our two spots on facebook: High Art Fridays page.  To join HAF as a member visit: High Art Fridays group.