Studioplex Art Walk: New blood, and new leadership?

When Art Department Gallery relocated to Studioplex last month, they helped change the perception that exhibitions at Studioplex Lofts were primarily for students of SCAD-Atlanta. True, the site has been a convenient host for dozens of students and recent graduates alike, but — on that rainy June evening of Art Department’s grand reopening — it became clear the Studioplex family was not only looking bigger, but a tad hipper and more cosmopolitan.

“We wanted Art Department to be a warm, inviting place,” says co-owner Anke Schofield. “We’re not pretentious …. Sometimes you walk in a gallery, and it feels like ice. We’re more accommodating, more fun, and we’re easier to approach.”

Schofield and co-owner Amy Hollibaugh established Art Department in 2008 in a space connected to the Bureau pub on Edgewood Avenue. They’re now located in the Studioplex pavilion at the front of the complex, and have extended gallery hours Thurs.-Sat., from 7-11 p.m., to match the dinner schedule of Serpas restaurant next door, as foot traffic remains essential to their business.

The Studioplex Art Walk starts tonight, Wed., July 8, from 6-8:30 p.m., and every second Wednesday at Studioplex. This month’s schedule features a preview of Art Department’s new group show, Greenworks, as well as an exhibition of abstract paintings at Jack Art Gallery and other events throughout the complex.