Urban Jacksonville

SEE SAW SPACE, one of the first pop-up galleries I wrote about on Urban Jacksonville

This morning on Urban Jacksonville Weekly (9:30am) we’ll talk to Kyle Lemstrom about SUPER WONDERFUL a new gallery opening in San Marco this month.

It’s the latest in a string of art galleries popping up in empty commercial spaces around the city. Along with Nullspace Gallery and 229 Hogan (and many more I won’t mention here) SUPER WONDERFUL begs the question are temporary art spaces good for art in Jacksonville?

A recent Washington Post article had this to say:

Brilliant marketing for developers. But bad PR for art? One-offs forge dicey synaptic connections in the public mind: They reinforce the “art as decor” paradigm, divorcing artists from their highest calling — creating work that challenges social and political norms. On art event nights, artists become another kind of interior decorator.

Why Pop-Up Art Galleries Are Good for Jacksonville

Please be sure to add your own reasons why they are good or bad

1. It creates an additional cultural event, i.e. an excuse to go out and have fun
2. Gallery shows outside the gallery are much more fun and tend to be more creative with space and subject material
3. Another opportunity for artists to sell more work, gain recognition and once again, sell more work, gain recognition…
4. Provides good marketing and PR for the property itself and for the company offering the property
5. Provides experience for gallery operators. Throwing a show in a non-gallery setting is much more challenging

Forging dicey synaptic connections in the public mind”? C’mon! This may be the case in D.C. which surely has a much more developed art community, but in Jacksonville it’s a welcome sight. The Pinkline Project points out

Since the days of the Salon des Refusés in the early 1800s when artists who weren’t selected for the official Paris Salon organized their own exhibit to show their work, artists have been finding ways to show their work somehow some way.

Back to SUPER WONDERFUL, it has the potential to be the second coming of SEE SAW SPACE, one of the first pop-up galleries I blogged about on Urban Jacksonville. The artists in the first SUPER WONDERFUL show (Friday, February 12th) are certainly representative of a few SEE SAW alumni: Tonya Lee, Jen Morgan, Dustin Harewood, Matt Allison, Clay Doran, Barrett Fiser and Kyle Lemstrom.

I don’t have all the details of the first SUPER WONDERFUL like time and location. I’m sure that information will be revealed in the podcast and I’ll post it here or as soon as I find out.

I want to plug another pop-up gallery event this Friday at Underbelly in 5 Points. For February’s 1st Friday, Jim Draper will be having a gallery show called Undraped. DJ Nick Fresh will be DJing from 6-9 followed by me from 9-close in the backyard treehouse. If you haven’t been to Underbelly yet, please come hangout.

Terry Lorince from Downtown Vision emailed me yesterday letting me know artists spaces downtown are now open. We talked about this extensively on Urban Jacksonville Weekly last week. Listen to our conversation here.

This is a great opportunity for artists to get studio and display space downtown. Thanks to Downtown Vision, The Cultural Council and Jim Draper for helping to put this together.

There is a process for getting a space, so get started filling out your application. Downtown Vision hopes to receive applications by August 31st. Send your completed application to terry at downtownjacksonville dot org.

Attached please find information on four spaces that have become available by property owners. This information will tell you the overall condition of the space, whether it has electricity or is simply raw space, and the monthly amount needed to cover utilities. Please remember that most of these spaces are on a month by month lease. You should also expect that in each case you will need to provide liability insurance (estimated at about $600 a year), and sign a lease with the owner.

Download all documents in Word Format

The Application

Creative Community Space #1
Near Main and Adams Street. Approximate size of storefront (sq. ft) 1,700 sq. ft. Approximate space dimensions 10”x13”

Creative Communities Artist Space #2
Near Hemming Plaza – Third Floor Space. Approximate size of storefront (sq. ft) 10,000 sq. ft . Hard wood floors, brick walls, few windows. Approximate space dimensions Very large – more conducive to an artists cooperative.

Creative Communities Artist Space #3
Laura and Independent. Approximate size of storefront (sq. ft) 2,000 sq. ft .. Approximate space dimensions Very large – secure space.

Creative Communities Artist Space #4
Off Laura Street. Approximate size of storefront (sq. ft) 2,000 sq. ft .. Approximate space dimensions Very large – secure first floor retail space in office building . Great street level visibility.

Listen and Subscribe

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Subscribe with iTunes

You can now listen right now, click the play button above.

Special Guest – Terry Lorince of Downtown Vision

Joey – Android is for SUCKAS!

What is Downtown Vision?
non for profit
formed 2000
make downtown premiere place to work, live, visit
get businesses to work together
art walk, hemming plaza market
creating a better downtown experience
Joey – living downtown?
14 downtown ambassadors – report on condition of downtown
contract with Catholic Charities for clean-up
originally, ambassadors picked up trash (insurance/worker’s comp issues)
Joey – hotline?

Questions:

Abel Harding asks With the proposed cuts in funding for public service grants, Jacksonville’s homeless population is likely to be impacted with fewer services available to them. How do you think that will impact downtown businesses?

Terry – see more transients, strain existing shelters
Joey – Is DVI working with groups on the homeless issue?
Terry – Transients are the issue more so than the homeless. Development/climate make Jacksonville popular place for vagrants, makes them more visible.
Tony – Troublemakers aren’t necessarily homeless but they all get lumped together in people’s eyes.

Matt Abercrombie asks how can we expedite getting artists into vacant and underutilized spaces downtown? who are the sympathetic landlords and what can artists do to make contact?

Terry – Vacant stores downtown is an issue. How do we ratchet up the Art Walk? Jim Draper a major voice to bring artists downtown. DVI has relationship with property owners. What to do between now and when the economy picks up. Leasers have conditions for people using space. Lots of interest from both sides. Interested – terry@downtownjacksonville.org

Our role is as matchmaker. Fortunate to have Art Center Cooperative.
Tony – Give it a name. Jim Draper as liaison/face.
Joey – Artists find a way to be recognizable and follow-up.

Matt Uhrig asks Many property owners dropped their venue once the DVI demanded to be placed on liability insurance. What liability does the city have once a person steps off a sidewalk and into a private building?

Terry – city owns the sidewalk but DVI assumes liability during art walk, venue assumes liability once patron enters establishment
Tony – BG’s insurance didn’t go up
Back to artists
Tony – use City Hall Annex

Yvonne asks if DVI would ever consider sponsoring (funding/paying) artists to paint murals on the many vacant buildings in downtown? it would be another appeal of art walk, it’ll also help give more life to downtown.

Terry – Thinking the same thing.
Jack – How does DVI feel about street art?
Terry – If you give an inch, they’ll take a mile.
Jason (ContentDG) – Familiar with the urban face-lift project?
Terry – $100,000 to contribute to Laura St facade improvement. Decorating on a dime. Rethinking spaces is one of the biggest challenges.
Jonathan – Budget?
Terry – Going to be a tough year. About 1.2 million. Looking at 50% budget cut.
Joey/Tony – Have you looked into social networking?
Terry – Facebook page, 2 MySpace pages, mobile website, DVI website

Recommendations

Joey: Content Design Group site and UJ/TT Mixtape Release Party
Tony: Eat Up Downtown and International Dog Day at the Riverside Arts Market.
Jonathan: Last Thirsty Thursday Suns Game
Terry: terry@downtownjacksonville.org and The Sinclair
Jack: Infintesmal BBQ

Music
Wednesday August 19
Club TSI
National Dairy

Thursday August 20
Jack Rabbits
Poison the Well

Friday August 21
Club TSI
Nomadic Sun
Juicy Pony
Honey Chamber

Shantytown Pub
Wudun
Lazerstar
Sleeping In the Aviary

Saturday August 22
Steamworks
EMA
Future Computers
D.M. Waltz

Sunday
Sinclair
Infintesmal BBQ #4