RAW

I like that a place like the Russian Lady hosts events like this. You get the bar, an art expo and, depending when you go… Burlesque girls! My friend purchased some artsy stuff there, and if you’re good enough you could even expo your stuff as well as sell it. I definitely need to go back to more of these.

This is why I love Unilocal– the only reason I went tonight was because I met someone at the Unilocal Elite event at the Saigon Kitchen a few weeks ago. Turned out we work for the same employer. Turned out she was an artist who was showing her paintings at tonights RAW show. How bizarre is that? So I went, had a blast, and bought 2 of her paintings.
Part night club, part art gallery, part concert hall, part vintage clothing fashion show, part nouveau chic destination, part «am I really in Hartford?» in the back of your mind, RAW was a real trip and a half to see. People were clothed in every type of dress and undress known to man– from T Shirts to cocktail dresses, to miniskirts up to there, to bikini tops, to suits and ties. Hair in every color of the rainbow, spiked or unspiked.
I had a wonderful time exploring the dozens of artist booths showing how creative certain gifted members of our species can be. Paintings, sculptures, jewelry, cut gems, stickers, prints, T-​Shirts — the mind boggling assortment never stopped.
There was live music, 2 enormous bars, and a tremendous night of art appreciation and people watching. I had a terrific time.
Sadly, this marks RAW’s Hartford finale. Their traveling medicine show is moving to the Russian Lady at 144 Temple St in New Haven. I hear its twice the size of the Hartford Russian, so expect twice as much merriment and amazement.

RAW event was great! There were cocktail dresses, khaki shorts, tanktops, high heels, suit jackets, sandles with socks, cowboy boots, and fancy dress shirts. Basically a place you find the clash between artists, socialites and the jersey shore. A perfect mix of what you expect at an ART show.
The bartenders tended to the guests, the artists exhibited their talents, and even fire dancers lighting up the roof. I congratulate the different artists who were at the ENSEMBLE event and hope they continue their fashion, painting, mixed media, digital, and personal artistic expressions to share with the rest of us. The venue was a great location with plenty of space for the different exhibits and even a rooftop for those who like to slowly develop a black lung as well as those who just want to share a drink, a conversation away from noise with the backdrop of the beautiful night sky.
Thanks Emily C. for the tickets and giving me an excuse to go out on a school night to mingle with the talented CT artists. Great event to check out!