One of the conditions of the “Off the Grid” gallery program is that the far-below-market monthly cost associated with having a place for an artist or artists to exhibit and work is that tenancy is temporary and may be terminated if the space is leased or the property is sold.
The program is a partnership between the creative community and Downtown stakeholders and assisted by the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville and Downtown Vision Inc.
Property owners agree to lease vacant space to artists month-to-month at a rate equal to minimum costs, usually enough to cover the bill for utilities.
The address gains a new look to replace an empty storefront and Downtown receives an additional stroke of vibrancy, while the artists land venues to show and sell their work they would not otherwise be able to afford.
When the artists involved in Southlight Gallery found out a month ago they had to find another place to exhibit their work, at first it seemed like a door was closing. Within a few days, another door opened.
When the gallery opened in October 2009 in the Jacksonville Bank Building on West Forsyth Street, it had the distinction of being the largest Off the Grid venue with the longest list of well-known participating artists.
Exhibitors included Jim Draper, Jay Shoots, Paul Ladnier, Doug Eng, Paul Karabinis, Thomas Hager and many others.
When Michael Dunlap, architect, fine art photographer and gallery co-founder, was notified about a month ago that the gallery had to move, there wasn’t much time to find a new place for the group to call home.
Call it luck or call it fate, within a few weeks Dunlap and his colleagues were planning their relocation to the former Push 2 Gallery space at 6 E. Bay St. in the historic Dyal-Upchurch Building.
Formerly a private gallery representing artists who specialized in commercial installations and commissions, the space is now “the only ‘Off the Grid’ gallery in a place that was originally intended to be an art gallery,” said Dunlap.
At 6,400 square feet, there is plenty of room for the 28 artists of all disciplines to exhibit and market their latest creations.
The tile-and-concrete under foot at Forsyth Street has been replaced by a polished floor. The ceiling is covered with an installation of track lights worthy of an art museum.
“When you step off the elevator, it’s like you’re in New York City,” said Dunlap.
The new Southlight Gallery will open to the public Wednesday from 5-9 p.m. for Art Walk. After the debut, it will be open 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and by appointment.
For more information, visit www.southlightgallery.com.
Landscape exhibit at MOCA’s UNF Gallery
As a prelude to the Sept. 17 opening of “Shared Vision: The Sondra Gilman and Celso Gonzalez-Falla Collection of Photography” at the Museum of Contemporary Art, a new exhibit of photography will debut during First Wednesday Art Walk in MOCA’s University of North Florida Gallery.
Curated by Alex Diaz, assistant professor in the Art & Design Department at UNF, “No Place in Particular: Images of the American Landscape” is focused on landscape photography from the modern era.
“It’s the work of eight photographers from all parts of the United States who explore the built landscape and development that occurred after World War II,” said Diaz.
He said the style differs from work presented by landscape photographers like Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, who captured images of the pristine landscape.
Even when photographing scenes in national parks, they avoided including elements such as roads and trash cans in their compositions.
The photographers represented in the exhibition follow the post-1960s style of landscape photography, including such man-made elements in their work.
“We’re excited about bringing people Downtown to see photographic art,” said Diaz, who also serves on the PHOTOJAX 2011 committee.
For more information, visit www.mocajacksonville.org.
356-2466