The finishing touches are being put in place and local artists are arriving to set up displays of their art.

On Thursday, Nov. 20, Wild Art, a new gallery, will open on the corner of Church and Washington Streets in downtown Covington. The gallery will show art in various media, from oil painting and photography to silver, wood and textile arts.

“It is a fresh, innovative gallery,” said Ann Wolfe Wildmon, owner of the gallery. “We have local artists, regional artists, and we’re hand selecting and picking them.”

The gallery opening is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 20, to coincide with the lighting of The Square. Artists will be on hand throughout the evening to meet people.

“We’re trying to bring in something to bring in people [to downtown Covington] at night,” she said. “The only thing going on downtown at night is restaurants. We really want to offer folks something [else], a way to get friends and family together in downtown Covington."

“My goal is to create a place where people came come to learn things, participate in classes and workshops and have more of an interactive experience with art then walking through and looking,” she said.

A classically trained artist, Wildmon said she is excited to be in downtown Covington because “it’s beautiful and it’s got lots of history. The city is growing with a lively, growing community.”

In addition to displaying art for sale, Wild Art will host classes and workshops. The venue will also be available for rent for corporate events, birthday and painting parties, and other types of events. “The events will center around art,” Wildmon said. “There’s nothing like that here.”

“This is something new, and we’re going to be something great,” she said.