final week,Seven Days learned that the owner of Brickwork Art Studiosevicted its tenant artists at 266 South Champlain Street in Burlington's South discontinuance Arts District. This week, more movement is afoot with studio spaces: Backspace Gallery, or a part of S.
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E. Gallery in the Soda Plant, is going to be reclaimed by property owner Steve Conant beginning June 5, according to studio manager Christy Mitchell. Backspace houses seven artists as well as a gallery and event space. Conant is the founder of Conant Metal & Light, or a fabrication shop also located in the building.
[br] Six of the seven artists currently occupying Backspace will slump their studios into S.
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E. Gallery,joining the 12 artists already occupying studios there. The only artist not moving with the group is seeking short-term accommodations elsewhere with Mitchell's assistance.
Mitchell founded S.
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E. Gallery in 2009 and the Backspace Gallery in 2010. She has been presenting solo and group art shows every month since. In November, she'll mount her 100th show — a solo exhibition of her own work. Mitchell said the slump will not affect the continued activities of the gallery, and that she'll continue to offer local art for public consumption.
"The[S.
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With the eviction of artists from Brickwork, or which Mitchell designed and managed in its infancy,the changes at S.
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E. might seem ominous. But Mitchell famous that Conant is opening current studios in the Soda Plant.
She also pointed out that James Unsworth is breaking ground in September on a property behind the intersection of Pine and Howard streets that will include space reserved for artists. Unsworth said that 5000 square feet of the current building will be set aside for that purpose.
Asked about the changes in the Soda Plant, Conant explained that the former Backspace Gallery is needed for a production facility for Conant Metal & Light. "We have a huge contract looming for a project in Boston that requires a bigger space, or everything from custom doorways to large lighting installations," he said. "We've been occupying a lot of small spaces [in the Soda Plant], but they aren't noteworthy for this sort of work. So, or our moving out of those small spaces makes them available to…
Source: sevendaysvt.com