Art Gallery and Coworking Space Merge at The Yard
Coworking spaces are a hot commodity in today’s creative economy. They’re popping up left and right in urban hubs across the nation. WeWork, a leader in the industry, was recently evaluated at $10 billion.
But beyond giving entrepreneurs a place to park their MacBooks for the day, these spaces are building community and opening up opportunities for creative entrepreneurs to network and cross-pollinate. At The Yard, a work space collective with five locations in NYC, common areas double as art galleries.
After visiting The Yard’s Williamsburg office, which looks like “a Tribeca gallery with a lounge and conference rooms,” curator André Smith says putting together a show there “was a no-brainer.” Two sets of artists were selected to be a part of his residency, No Window Shopping, and their work exhibited spring through fall of this year. The show closed with a panel of artists and distinguished academics.
André takes an innovative approach to curating works from emerging artists in unconventional spaces and that means more foot traffic, less red tape, and definitely none of that gallery girl “I don’t know” bullshit.
You can catch No Window Shopping’s next appearance, which opens to the public December 21 (December 18 for press and collector previews), at Coffee Mission in San Francisco’s Mission District — just in time for Christmas.
Here’s what André had to say about his recent residency at The Yard.
Why did you name the residency No Window Shopping?
No Window Shopping is a visual response to local affairs and current events from around the world. In the spirit of participatory journalism, we are collecting and highlighting timely and topical works that address larger social issues in a host of cities around the globe. We will publish this collection later, along with interviews and essays from the artists we have worked with as well as contributions from distinguished academics.
But as far as what No Window Shopping means to me — it’s a reference for things we cannot afford to ignore. All of the pieces I show and sell are themed with topical concerns that invite people to think about social challenges differently.
Did you notice a shift in conversation throughout the hallways at The Yard while the exhibit was up?
Over the 5 months the residency was at The Yard, I had heard of people taking an interest in the works I selected. Some asked for the price sheet, which is ultimately the goal. I bring people in for viewings and walk-thruss all the time, office hours, weekends, whatever. Some members noticed me and thanked me personally. It’s nice to talk to people who want to know more about the artist, even if they can’t afford the work. I don’t call that window shopping. That’s paying respect.
Is there a significant difference between exhibiting art at The Yard, a coworking space, versus a corporate office just buying art and hanging it in their lobby?
Oil paintings of fruit bowls and silk flowers or ugly wallpaper do nothing for the vibes or creative juices. I take special pride in knowing that what I select for making the mood in the room can have an impact, for the better, on conversations, performance, and marketability in general.
Do you see this as a new and innovative way for artists to get their work out there?
It’s all about alignment. Curators and commissioned artists working with businesses is nothing new. On the other hand, engaging diverse communities in public spaces with cultural offerings from artists who champion and partner with cause-based-initiatives to bring awareness and support to often overlooked concerns…that’s very vital today. No Window Shopping is not the whole solution, but it can be a part of it. We need partners that want to be a part of the sustainable San Francisco conversation.
Were the artists able to sell any of their work?
I sold a piece for Sam Kirk, a piece for Bryan Dumas and a few for BEAU. For me, as a curator, it’s important that I have range with the sales I affect. We sold street art pieces to a lawyer in Hell’s Kitchen, a fine art piece to a community organizer in Hyde Park, Chicago, and a portrait to Syracuse University’s Lubin House.
What are your plans for expanding the residency to more cities?
The social issues change depending on where we go, but the fact remains that we are all affected by the issues and their global ramifications. Myself and the artists I engage with are just documenting the change. Hopefully our method, our work, and the environment created in our space invites people to get together and look at these issues differently. We will start live streaming our panel discussions, artist talks, and sponsored events this month. Following this effort, we are off to Europe and the Mediterranean to continue growing our practice in Glasgow, Brussels, and Madrid in 2016.
Photos courtesy of André Smith. This article was originally published at williamandpark.com.
