There is a new art gallery on Mercer Island. It is located on the campus of Covenant Shores Retirement Community.  The gallery is a dream come true for Owen Hall, resident artist and former chairman of the Covenant Shores arts commission.

“Owen had a vision that the corridor that connects Building 6 with the campus Health Center could become an art gallery,” explains Nancy Axell, current chair of the commission. “The arts commission members voted to proceed with this project to bring original art to the residents of our campus.”

The commission decided to name it “The Lighthouse Gallery” since the official name of Building 6 is “The Lighthouse.”

The gallery opened last spring with a trial run featuring works by members of the Covenant Shores art commission.

According to Axell, “Covenant Shores Executive Director, Bruce Erickson, was very supportive of our plan and helped us secure a sign at the Entrance to the gallery. He overcame his fear of the walls being riddled with hundred of nail holes. I convinced him that art was more important and nail holes could be filled.”

Earlier in the summer, the art commission invited members of the Mercer Island Visual Arts League (MIVAL) to the new gallery and see if their members would be interested in displaying their art in the Lighthouse Gallery.

The response was enthusiastic and plans were set in motion to launch a MIVAL exhibit in September.

The exhibit opened Sept. 14 and features 25 artists (including four members of MIVAL who are also Covenant Shores residents) showing 56 works of art in a variety of mediums. The exhibit will run through Jan. 9, 2015.