The Main Gallery

Step in the front door of our building and you are in The Gallery, designed as an arts display space with plenty of “beautiful white walls” and a community meeting area. We envision shows by our resident artists, by other neighborhood artists and crafts people, and by our local school children, as well as poetry readings, Saturday art classes for neighborhood kids, music recitals and meetings of neighborhood organizations all taking place here. On the day we bought our building and invited the community in to draw and write on the old walls, several connections were make among the people who attended. It has been the same at every event since. This spirit of connection, of discovering what we have in common with our neighbors and friends, is the hallmark of what our gallery space is intended to do.

Many people in our neighborhood believe the only time they are welcome in the Gallery is when they are prepared to purchase a piece of art. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Homewood Studios Gallery exists to make connections — between artists and neighbors, between neighbors and neighbors, between children and art, and so on … The “Gallery Open” sign is an invitation to come in and look, visit with an artist, talk about art (or anything else), or perhaps meet someone new. The children in the neighborhood seem to be learning this more quickly than the adults, but we want everyone to feel comfortable dropping in to put a little art in their lives.

On the other hand, our concept of “gallery” differs from most, and from the ideas many people bring into the space with them. We are aware struggling artists who wish to sell their work are often at the mercy of gallery owners who charge a percentage — sometimes up to fifty percent — of sales. This practice requires artists to prices their work higher than they want, just to break even. Our gallery asks no commission for artwork sold. A flat rental fee for use of the space is all we require. There is a coopoerative tradeoff here. The exhibiting artist supplies the gallery sitters during hours the show is open. In this way, we feel, emerging artists are able to have their work on view, they can price their work lower and still expect to clear more income.

For further information on renting the gallery space for shows or meetings, see Rental Information.