Where the Art Is
Area Galleries Find New Homes in Unconventional Spaces
By Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 14, 2008; WE25
Art galleries, like birds, have traditionally flocked together.
At least in the Washington area they have, where neighborhoods such as Dupont Circle and Seventh Street NW were not that long ago known for their tightly concentrated pockets of art, participating in monthly art walks in which visitors would stroll from venue to venue, sipping wine in plastic cups. There's strength in numbers, or so the thinking goes, especially in tough economic times.
Today, those two areas are on the wane, with the gallery district of 14th Street NW (Adamson Gallery, Curator's Office, G Fine Art, Hemphill Fine Arts, Irvine Contemporary, Randall Scott Gallery, Transformer and Plan B) in ascendancy.
Not every gallery, however, chooses to follow the crowd. Conner Contemporary, for example, pulled up its Dupont Circle stakes, opening a new space in Northeast Washington last month, not far from the H Street entertainment corridor. The only other gallery nearby? The appropriately named Dissident Display, which opened in 2006.
See, politicians aren't the only ones who seek the maverick label. Here, we profile 10 art spaces that -- whether by virtue of geography or philosophy -- have separated themselves from the herd.
ART WHINO
173 Waterfront St., National Harbor
First of all, for all those wondering: What's up with the name?
According to Art Whino owner Shane Pomajambo, the unusual moniker for his gallery is a nod to his own addiction to the graffiti-inspired, pop surrealist and "lowbrow" art he specializes in, "intentionally misspelled for an urban feel." He'd better hope that the hip, gritty vibe conveys to his new home in the Prince George's County development known as National Harbor. The Potomac waterfront destination, which caters to tourists and conventioneers, is about as far from urban as it gets.
Pomajambo knew he was taking something of a gamble when he relocated this past spring from Alexandria. Most of his youthful, city-based clients don't have cars, and now must share rides just to get to his regular DJ-fueled art parties. He isn't terribly worried though. Pomajambo says he thinks the audience for his kind of art -- which ranges in price from $30 to $2,000 or so, with most of it on the low end -- is far wider than the downtown crowd.
"I hate to break the news," he says, "but there's a lot of people like me."
Contact 301-567-8210. http://www.artwhino.com.
Hours Open Tuesday-Thursday from noon to 8 p.m.; Fridays from noon to 10 p.m.; Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday-Monday from noon to 6 p.m.
Free public events
Friday from 6 p.m. to midnight. Exhibition opening: "Stencil." Music by DJ Face and performance by Vodka and Donuts.
Nov. 22 from 6 p.m. to midnight. Exhibition opening: "Bam Bam Dilla: Traveling Riddims." Music by DJ Jeremy Sole.
Nov. 23 from noon to 6 p.m. Book signing by "Stencil Nation" author Russell Howze, followed by a presentation and panel discussion on stencil art.
CONNER CONTEMPORARY
1358-60 Florida Ave. NE
When Leigh Conner started thinking about the economics of moving her art gallery -- one of this city's most respected and adventurous, with a roster of established and emerging artists -- from a moribund Dupont Circle, she knew her best bet would be to buy a building rather than continue renting. She says she found the "good bones" she was looking for, and at the right price, in a former auto-repair shop in a corner of Northeast Washington's Trinidad neighborhood, around the corner from the exploding H Street entertainment district.
The 7,000-square-foot space, which includes a media room and an outdoor courtyard that can accommodate several shows at once, opened last month, with a centerpiece show spotlighting the work of Leo Villareal, whose light-based work was just acquired by the National Gallery of Art.
It may be off the beaten track, but Conner says her Washington fan base, as well as those loyalists from outside the city, will find her no matter where she is. "This is a destination," she says, calling her flight from Northwest Washington a kind of "freedom."
Contact 202-588-8750.
http://www.connercontemporary.com.
Hours Open Wednesday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Free public events
Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. Exhibition openings: "Zoe Charlon: Family," "David Levinthal: War" and "Gabriel de la Mora: Video."
Saturday at 11 a.m. Artist talk: David Levinthal.
RSVP requested.
Saturday at 2 p.m. Artist talk: Zoe Charlton.
RSVP requested.
GALLERY NEPTUNE
5001 Wilson Lane, Bethesda
Like Conner, gallerist Elyse Harrison of Gallery Neptune also decided to buy after five years of renting in downtown Bethesda. Last month, she and her husband, architect Michael Belisle, unveiled the new art space, on the second floor of a remodeled 1920s building they're calling Peripoint. The refurbished landmark at Wilson Lane and Old Georgetown Road -- its mint-green color a reflection of its environmentally conscious design -- resemble a miniature Flatiron Building, with a striking, wedge-like profile.
The natural-light-filled space, which showcases local artists, won't have to rely solely on art sales either. Harrison, herself a painter, says part of the gallery will double as a studio and classroom for her art students. An Internet-technology firm is also moving into the third floor, even as Harrison and Belisle continue to shop around for a restaurant tenant to take over the ground floor and rooftop terrace.
According to Harrison, once Peripoint is able to feed visitors' hunger for food and drink -- along with art -- she'll have found the kind of synergy that was lacking from her previous locations.
Contact 301-718-0809.
http://www.galleryneptune.com.
Hours By appointment only.
Free public events
Tonight from 6 to 9 p.m. The gallery stays open late for the monthly Bethesda Art Walk.
Nov. 22 from 7 to 9 p.m. Exhibition opening: "John Aquilino: Another Level."
GOVINDA GALLERY
174 Waterfront St., National Harbor
Don't worry. Georgetown stalwart Govinda Gallery hasn't uprooted for the 'burbs.
Located just across the street from Art Whino, the other fledgling gallery in National Harbor is a satellite branch of an art space that has made a name for itself as a purveyor of rock-and-roll photography, among other genres.
Significantly larger than the original Georgetown storefront, the spacious waterfront gallery will allow Govinda to branch out in ways it has never been able to, according to owner Chris Murray. "I can literally fit four of the Georgetown shop inside National Harbor," he says, explaining that he hopes to bring not just more large canvases to the Fort Washington development (as with his December retrospective of the late painter David Waters) but also installation and performance art.
Murray's biggest surprise? The healthy weekend foot traffic to Govinda II generated by local visitors and out-of-town conventioneers. "We've been getting 300 or 400 people a day wandering in there on weekends," he says. "On a good Saturday in Georgetown, we might get 30 or 40."
Contact 202-333-1180.
http://www.govindagallery.com.
Hours Open Tuesday-Sunday from noon to 7 p.m.
Free public events
Saturdays and Sundays through November from noon to 7 p.m. Artist-in-residence Carlotta Hester paints in the gallery.
Dec. 6 from 2 to 5 p.m. Exhibition opening: "David Waters."
H&F FINE ARTS
3311 Rhode Island Ave., Mount Rainier
One thing that H&F Fine Arts co-owners Karen Hardy and Cheryl Fountain don't want is to be pigeonholed. Hardy, who, like her partner, is African American, describes the focus of the almost two-year-old gallery, located just outside the District in Prince George's County's Gateway Arts District, in a nutshell: "inclusive of all." To that end, recent and upcoming shows feature Latino, African American and white artists.
Calling the decision to open a gallery in an arts district that is still struggling to attract a critical mass of other arts organizations -- let alone restaurants -- a "leap of faith," Hardy knows that she sometimes sounds more like a missionary than a businesswoman. "We don't just want to show art that we like," she says, before adding, with a laugh, "Maybe that means I'm not a good gallerist. I'm not snobby enough."
Contact 301-887-0080. http://www.hffinearts.com.
Hours Open Thursday-Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Free public event
Dec. 6 from 5 to 8 p.m. Exhibition opening: "Alan Binstock."
HAMILTONIAN GALLERY
1353 U St. NW
It's a little hard getting a handle on exactly what Hamiltonian Gallery is.
Yes, it looks like a traditional art gallery. But it's also part of an innovative educational program created by founder Paul So to foster professional career development for a rotating roster of 10 artist "fellows" -- that is, emerging artists who are given an annual stipend of $2,000, guaranteed exhibition opportunities and the chance to learn about making it in the art biz through a program of lectures, critiques and mentorship.
Gallery director Jackie Ionita compares it to finishing school. So likens it to the kind of post-graduate seminars he remembers from his training as a physicist. What will the public see? A series of shows, each of which features a kind of behind-the scenes matchmaking. Every month, the front of the gallery will be devoted to the work of an established "mentor" artist, with the back reserved for fellows whose work in some way plays off the art up front.
Contact 202-332-1116.
http://www.hamiltoniangallery.com.
Hours Open Tuesday-Saturday from noon to 6 p.m.
Free public event
Tuesday at 7 p.m. Panel discussion with exhibiting artists Jonathan B. French, Michael Dax Iacovone and Anne Chan.
HONFLEUR GALLERY
1241 Good Hope Rd. SE
Anacostia isn't known for its art galleries, but that didn't stop Honfleur Gallery from setting up shop there last year.
Since then, according to gallery director Amy Cavanaugh Royce, the nonprofit Honfleur, part of ARCH Development Corp., has steadily made its presence known not just in the neighborhood, with an annual "East of the River" show featuring Anacostia artists, but also across town, by showcasing national and international artists. For FotoWeek DC (see article on Page 20), Honfleur will anchor five photography shows in and around the neighborhood.
To be sure, that neighborhood may be a long way from transforming itself into the thriving arts hub it once was, but Royce says such a dream is possible. "Over the last two years, there's definitely been an improvement in the mix of visitors," she says. "We don't want anyone from the neighborhood to ever feel unwelcome here, but we see ourselves as a gallery for the whole city."
Contact 202-580-5972.
http://www.honfleurgallery.com.
Hours Open Tuesday-Friday from noon to 5 p.m.; Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Free public events
Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m. Exhibition opening: "Fragile."
Nov. 22 from 2 to 4 p.m. Panel discussion: "Underexposed: Self-Publishing Your Photo Book."
Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. Concert by the Young Lions jazz ensemble. Original music, set to film, by Chris Marianetti.
JOAN HISAOKA HEALING ARTS GALLERY
1632 U St. NW
Don't expect that nagging cough to clear up after a single visit to the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery. The kind of energy you'll find emanating from the walls here is more about achieving a less easily defined wholeness than about finding miracle cures, says Shanti Norris, executive director of the Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts, a support organization for people with cancer and their caregivers. Its six-month-old exhibition space, part of a burgeoning U Street gallery district, is a tranquil place, with a vertical garden of succulents in one corner and amoeba-like ceiling panels in slate blue that evoke the sky.
What healing art means, Norris says, is not that you'll find art about cancer or even necessarily art by artists with cancer. Rather, you'll find art that in some way touches upon the broader theme of human suffering. That's something that Norris thinks everyone, even the physically well, can relate to. "We are all the walking wounded," she says.
Contact 202-483-8600. http://www.smithfarm.com.
Hours Open Wednesday-Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Free public event
Dec. 5 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Reception for "Visions of Paradise" exhibition.
PROJECT 4 GALLERY
1353 U St. NW
After 2 1/2 years at Ninth and U streets NW, Project 4 Gallery has just opened a new space . . . all of four blocks away. It's a lot closer to the up-and-coming U Street art district, which includes the new Hamiltonian Gallery (in fact, it's renting part of the Hamiltonian building), yet it maintains its idiosyncratic, two-story floor plan with a light-filled atrium connecting the two spaces. No sterile white cube here.
Gallery director Anne Surak says Project 4's somewhat in-your-face architecture forces artists to respond to the space in creative ways. And it forces the gallery to pick artists who aren't afraid to adapt. The gallery's next show will include site-specific installations created by ceramic artist Margaret Boozer.
Contact 202-232-4340.
http://www.project4gallery.com.
Hours Open Wednesday-Friday from 2 to 6 p.m.; Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m.
Free public event
Dec. 13 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Exhibition opening: "Margaret Boozer."
WORKHOUSE ARTS CENTER
9601 Ox Rd., Lorton
Those who run art spaces sometimes get carried away when speaking about the potential of their pet projects. And yet it seems especially ironic to hear Sharon Mason use the word "limitless" in regard to the Fairfax arts organization she runs.
That's because it's a former jail.
Lorton's sprawling Workhouse Arts Center doesn't just include a gallery building with two floors of exhibition space (you can still see the marks on the floor where the old prison bunks were installed) but artist studios, classrooms, dance and exercise halls, and retail space.
What's still to come in the nearly 57-acre cluster of 30 buildings, which include three remaining guard towers? Mason dreams of a cafe, art supply store, brew pub, theater, music barn, prison museum, artist housing and a hall for weddings and other rental events.
"The possibilities are only constrained," she says, "by the ideas we haven't thought of yet."
Contact 703-584-2900.
http://www.workhousearts.org.
Hours Gallery open Wednesday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday-Tuesday from noon to 5 p.m.
Free public event
Nov. 29 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Drop-in arts workshops, strolling musicians, refreshments, holiday concert and tree-lighting ceremony.