A Brief History of Tonic Gallery

In 2002, a group of well-meaning grassroots organizers created Tonic Ball: an event that brought together a wildly eclectic group of local musical acts and to cover the songs of Gram Parsons and raise money for Second Helpings.

The show was a big success and garnered lots of fans--including local graphic designer Paul Wilson. He came to the Tonic Ball committee with a fundraising idea of his own: create a one-night one-piece art show and invite local visual artists to get into the act of raising money for a great cause.

So Tonic Gallery was born. Help at the Mavris Cultural Center the same night as Tonic Ball II, Tonic Gallery featured works by more than 70 local artists. Each piece sold for only $100--and nearly every piece sold.

Since then, Tonic Gallery has become every bit as anticipated as Tonic Ball. For the next four years, the show was hung at the Wheeler Arts Community, thus bringing the event to Fountain Square for an entire night of art and music to benefit Second Helpings.

Tonic Gallery has gone through a few changes over the years. For example: this year, the art moves even closer to the music, as Tonic Gallery will be featured at Big Car Gallery in the Murphy Art Center, just a block away from the Fountain Square Theatre and Radio Radio. What hasn't changed: it's still a great place to find a wonderful piece of art while you support one of the best causes we know.