A Journey of Art
Artist Robert Smithson is renowned for his earthworks, sculptures made in remote areas using the natural environment. Aside from creating the sculptures, he considers the experience of traveling to the sites to be the true works of art.
As I look over the large mostly seafood menu, I am struck at how affordable this restaurant is. Appetizers run from $3.90 for a cup of New England clam chowder to $12.95 for the jumbo shrimp cocktail. Entrees are in the $10.75 to $26.85 price range. Chicken and beef dishes are also available for people who don’t care for seafood.
Visiting the Gail Cahalan Gallery at Conley's Wharf also requires something of a journey. Bridge and highway construction alters the route with roadblocks and detours. While navigating this landscape, I wondered whether it would be worth the trip.
The Gail Cahalan Gallery opened last August, a recent addition to Providence's evolving art scene. The owner, Gail Cahalan Conley, a local real estate developer, allocated the gallery space to provide a successful artistic venue for Providence artists. She and her husband, Patrick Conley, own Conley's Wharf, which is leased by Partnership for Creative Industrial Space, a non-profit organization that subleases space to artists and creative businesses.
Conley's Wharf seems an unlikely place for an art gallery, on the stretch of Allens Ave. notorious for gentlemen's clubs and adult novelty shops, although this may increase visibility. Cahalan Gallery is a typical post-industrial loft with an entire wall of windows facing Allens, giving passersby a glimpse into the gallery. Moveable walls break up the space and can be repositioned to allow for large-scale installations or gatherings. The Cahalan provides a venue for the artists of Conley's Wharf to exhibit, a truly symbiotic relationship.
Accustomed to being questioned about the gallery's whereabouts, gallery co-directors Dave Lowenstein and Finn Yonkers stress the importance of being in a building full of artists and creatives. "Not only are we a new gallery starting up, but the entire property is a new venture, everything is happening at once, everything is so new," says Loewenstein. "There is no established history with the building, but we're excited for 2008, because our visibility is going to be greatly increased now that the building is filling up." Enlarging their everyday patronage has been a challenge for the newly established gallery, typical to any new business.
Yonkers and Loewenstein believe that other businesses at Conley's Wharf will attract a similar clientele as the gallery, allowing them to feed off each other's successes. "So many different things happening at once really makes a difference. Things are changing in this neighborhood and it's really exciting," says Yonkers. As rents skyrocket downcity, artists are continually moving into more affordable spaces, often into refurbished warehouses, like Conley's Wharf. Cahalan's establishment of a gallery alongside the artists it represents seems a rather ingenious business strategy.
The structuring of their exhibitions and the means through which they attract artists are rather distinctive to Cahalan. The gallery seeks to take advantage of the artistic communities at the waterfront and south side of Providence with the gallery acting as a cultural outlet for the area. Loewenstein strives to connect the gallery to the cultural community at large by presenting multi-media exhibitions that showcase Providence artists. He sees a need for more Providence galleries to support the thriving local arts community, and plans to display work that does not typically get shown in the city. Artists can easily upload samples of work to Cahalan's website to be considered for an exhibition, exemplifying Cahalan's desire to advocate for local artists as well as to "discover" work that may be otherwise overlooked.
Cahalan's first exhibitions fulfilled its commitment to Providence artists. The debut show, A Trio of Talent, featured three local painters: Jason Brockert, Kathy Hodge, and Arthur Moore. A following exhibition, Photographs of Cuba, coincided with and complemented the Providence Latin American Film Festival, merging visual art with the cultural community in Providence. Their holiday exhibition also featured local artists, including the artists of Conley's Wharf.
Cahalan is planning a series of overlapping exhibitions this year, each of which will feature more than one artist, with changes occurring every few weeks. Loewenstein is interested in giving viewers the opportunity to be exposed to a variety of artwork by juxtaposing different media in a single exhibition. Cahalan aims to redefine the concept of the art gallery by using a unique approach, both in terms of the art exhibited and the way in which it is represented. A future exhibition will feature sculptors Dan Denton and Ray Schamp. Denton works in stone and Schamp in origami forms, creating complex folded paper sculptures. Loewenstein's aim is to "create a new idea, new effect, enhance the innate quality of each material."
Although still in its infancy, it is apparent that the Gail Cahalan Gallery will continue to provide Providence with unique and refreshing exhibitions, when considering their remarkable methods and commitment to the local arts community. Perhaps you should journey as I did and be the judge for yourself.
The Gail Cahalan Gallery is located at 200 Allens Avenue in Providence. Call 749-3814 or visit www.gcgallery.net for more info.
