Fremont Art Association

New, fresh, up and coming Gallery, shop and community studio in the heart of old town Niles. Currently there is a Gertrude Stein exhibit combining the collection of Hans Gallas and Stein inspired work by members. Go early, go often.

Firstly, this fine establishment is a collective and not a gallery. As a result, the range of art is broad: it spans from the very simple folk-​art end of the spectrum to some very nice fine art pieces that could grace a very proud sitting room. And it changes often, due to the shifting displays. It does border three stars (or less) on the ambiance scale owing to the lighting and glaring wall surfaces. Realizing that they operate on a shoestring budget, they could still work a tiny bit on atmosphere for their shopping space.
Today, I was on the hunt for some holiday gifts and, it being Small Business Saturday, found myself at the Fremont Art Association. Jaci Daskarolis was the artist manning the store on our visit. My five (almost six!) year old companion and I liked quite a few of her cards and one of her mugs, so we got those. We also bought a framed photographic print by one of the other artists (whose name I forget at this moment).
There was a decent amount of product for sale on the more affordable end of the spectrum. I recommend Fremont Art Association as one of your stops when shopping because it is special to buy somebody (or yourself) original art.

Art for sale and exhibit from local artists.

The Fremont Art Association is a small art co-​op and gallery located in the quaint historic Niles district of Fremont. The location itself is great as it’s right on the main drag which is dotted with antique shops and cafes. The gallery is a bit disappointing though. While there’s plenty of space and some quality artwork, the lighting is terrible and everything is hung on pegboard. It reeks of cheapness. The association and the artists need to take the space more seriously so their artwork is also taken more seriously. There is lots of promise here but there needs to be more vision. The association does host gallery shows, have visiting artists and offer classes so that might be worth looking into. As an artist, I hope to see this place grow and flourish!

This is a non-​profit gallery where artist members of the Fremont Art Association display their work — mostly paintings but also some sculptures and ceramic pieces.
Browsing is free, and the art pieces run about $ 50 and up. If you are patient and have a good eye, you can decorate your living rooms nicely and uniquely for a very good price, while supporting local artists with their hobbies (I doubt that anyone makes a living from this). Otherwise it’s a great way to spend a quiet weekend afternoon visiting the gallery and other stores along the historic Niles district.