DIY gallery gives burgeoning artists a home
31 July 2009
Steph Greegor
Royce Icon is a typical 22-year-old struggling artist. He talked about his craft while calling from a pay phone Downtown, and he believes that art shouldn’t carry a hefty price tag for those who want to own a piece they connect with.
His mantra has made him the perfect fit for Gallery 83, a home-based display space in the Short North.
“(Gallery 83 is) a really critical and needed place for really true DIY independent art because that doesn’t exist in the Short North right now. It’s all very commercial in comparison,” he said.
Icon acknowledged that many are interested in turning the neighborhood into a high-priced, New York-style art scene. “But art doesn’t have to be expensive, ya know,” he said. “I sell my paintings for $5.”
Gallery 83—which will feature 15 artists Saturday during the monthly Short North Gallery Hop—arrived on the scene in November. That was a few months after Geoff Collins and Mic Wesson, both self-taught artists with a penchant for finding new talent, bought a house with an unfinished basement at 83 W. First Ave.
At first, said Wesson, they used the space for a studio, but it soon became evident that they wanted to do a bit more.
“We’ve always been interested in the arts community, and we thought about how to make it better because we’re both artists. So we were like, ‘Let’s make it a gallery,’” said Wesson.
“We used Craig’s List to recruit new artists, and we had no idea what we were doing at first. But each month we started getting more interest, and now every show we’re averaging about 15 different artists.”
The gallery is unique in that it charges no hanging fee and takes no commission on any sales. It simply exists for the artist, said Wesson, making it a valuable tool for up-and-comers wanting to get a little experience and exposure.
“We really wanted to have a space where artists could come and just enjoy themselves—especially new artists, in particular, where they could learn what it’s like to be in gallery,” he said.
83 Gallery, 83 W. First Ave., will hold its monthly opening from 6 to 11 p.m. Saturday during the Short North Gallery Hop.
“They’re good artists. They just didn’t have a venue to show their work. And now they do.”
Not only do they get to show their art, but lots of it is ending up on Central Ohio walls.
“We’ve made quite a few sales,” said Wesson. “(Royce), he’ll sell a piece for anywhere from $5 to $25. (Royce’s pieces are) definitely more for young people who want to buy some art.”
Wesson said Icon actually is less concerned about making money than he is about finding good homes for his art. “He’s said all he wants is his work on walls.”
Because it’s based in a home, Gallery 83 is open only during the monthly Gallery Hop and by appointment for those interested in viewing a particular artist’s work. Even so, its owners report that they typically sell seven to 10 pieces per show at anywhere from $5 to $5,000 apiece. Even more importantly to young artists such as Icon, they say that each show gives at least 100 sets of eyes a gander at new and upcoming talent in Columbus.
“They have a really cool vibe of independent and diverse stuff,” said Icon. “Gallery 83 is very much about not being pretentious. And I think that’s why it’s really cool.”
