A new gallery in the Shoals is blending visual art and craftsmanship with musical heritage. Rocker Gallery in Sheffield is the brainchild of couple Alan Daigre and Traci Thomas who are the founders of the gallery. Daigre is a seasoned furniture designer who has made a mark with his unique rocking chairs. His work will be on permanent display while the gallery also presents rotating exhibits from artists with ties to the music industry.
Diagre explained the idea behind the gallery. “You know, we wanted to not only have a place to promote my work...I’ve been a furniture maker for twenty years or so...but to also, to support and perpetuate the rich music legacy here in the Shoals.” Daigre mentioned that the building was built in 1919 and that they have done a major renovation including redoing the entire storefront out of old walnut.
Thomas speaks on the importance of the location. “It’s also really cool. If you look out the shop to the left, you have the studios across the street and the old VFW and then, to the right, you have this beautiful historic Ritz theater. So, we're just trying to kind of pump a little life into downtown Sheffield.”
The first artist in the spotlight will be Patrick Sansone, a multi-instrumentalist and photographer from Meridian Mississippi who will be displaying photographs of his road trips on and off the road with Wilco.
The Rocker Gallery is having an open house on Sunday January 21st from 1 to 4pm at its location in downtown Sheffield. The address is 319 N. Raleigh Avenue.
