Studioplex Art Walk: New blood, and new leadership?
July 8, 2009 at 5:26 pm by Jeremy Abernathy in Events, Visual Arts
REVAMPING THE OLD MODELS? Artists pave their own ways during recession-era uncertainty. Artwork by Robert Mars, 'What a Good Time.'
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.
Despite what’s listed on the schedule linked above, the exhibition in Loft 143, This is Us vs. Starving, is not a SCAD show, nor is it limited to student artists. “We are NOT in anyway affiliated with [any] school,” writes Eric Marston, one of the organizers. Further, the official count has increased to 12 artists — not five.
Marston’s Us vs. Starving manifesto begins:
The selective and elite art world that exists in Atlanta aims to fit the high end client and quickly shrinks the possibility of breaking in on our own. We are tired of “wishing” these people would be willing to label us as an “artist” only to take half our money. This is a group show for artists who feel they have no outlet for there [sic] work and don’t want the games associated with galleries.
The frustration here is one shared by local artists of all ages: The established gallery business model needs to be reexamined in hopes of finding new, sustainable ways to better represent local art. For some, this process means taking matters into one’s own hands. As economist Joseph Schumpeter once maintained, a recession has the potential for encouraging entrepreneurship — a function of “creative destruction.”
While Art Department Gallery has opted for a more traditional, commercial model, it’s still a venue founded by artists, for artists. Schofield, who graduated from SCAD in 1994 (when the Savannah college was still only in Savannah), has 16 years of experience trying to make it in the local scene.
“We’re a team; it’s not just one side or the other,” Schofield explains, emphasizing the gallery’s cooperation with artists and reluctance to enforce restrictions on representation, something she’s experienced firsthand as an artist. While artists shown at Art Department aren’t an exclusive group, Schofield qualifies them as emerging-to-established talent. “We’re out to grab a group of working professionals,” she continues. “That means every day you’re out there painting, doing quality work.”
As I looked over my notes for this post, I noticed hints of generational identity. For me, Us vs. Starving and Art Department’s Greenworks became a simulated conversation between Gen X and Gen Y. How do these groups of artists differ, and what values do they have in common? Both groups seem motivated to do creative work because of something missing within the status quo. And both are eager, to varying degrees, in distinguishing themselves from the Old Guard. But I was surprised to see that, in a refreshing defiance of their stereotype, Gen X (as represented by the ladies of Art Department) had decided to professionalize and grow up, albeit according to values of their own choosing. On the other hand, Gen Y (of which I consider myself a member) seems to prefer a more DIY approach.
Then again, my observations above fall profoundly short of any comprehensive anthropology; please consider them speculations at best. But in the meantime, do yourself a favor and go see some art!
Friday night is the official hard opening of Greenworks. Art Department has just announced a live painting performance by Dosa Kim and Shaun Thurston, to begin during Wednesday’s art stroll and finish during Friday’s reception, from 7-11 p.m.
If you’re interested in getting further involved, Art Department is looking for a new intern to help during gallery hours. They can be contacted through their website.
(Photo courtesy Art Department Gallery)
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