March 1, 2024
If you’ve walked down Broadway lately you may have noticed the new gallery near the corner of Cumming Street. The Gazette spoke with Barbara Anderson, Executive Director of Art on the Ave NYC, the organization that brought this new creative space to Inwood.
“On the heels of a successful neighborhood exhibition where we transformed 9 vacant spaces into our street facing Connections exhibition, we have just opened a Creative Space. What is happening more and more is that property owners, at first very reluctant to even participate by having art in the windows, then end up loving the result. In this case, the owner of a property in Inwood has asked us not just to keep art in the windows, but to use one of the spaces.
“We already do this in 6 other locations around the city, but the difference this time is that the owner wants us to prove that a creative retail venture can sustain itself in Inwood. We are so excited and are already booking solo and group shows for area artists. We are planning workshops and activities for the community- some that we will charge for and others that we will not.
“Besides all this we have created a place where two local artists can work and create in front of the window for all to enjoy. We want there to be something going on in the space all the time. The idea is that we want people to look in, to see the space. A rental sign is what people look away from. We want them instead to be curious and look in.
“Of course, we want this space to be for the communities of Upper Manhattan and we want it all to be very accessible. Our objective is not to make a million dollars but simply to suggest a new kind of business in the neighborhood. I probably should have waited to write to see if we succeed. But I consider it a success already. We managed to convince a NYC property owner to let us “stage” his store!
“We’ve already had a solo exhibition that went so well that the artist arrived with twenty pieces and left with two. There were red dots everywhere.
“Next week we will host an Uptown artist Meet & Mingle too.”
~Barbara Anderson
Ruthy Valdez (L) “is a self-taught artist known for her enigmatically figures and dreamlike
backgrounds that are reminiscent of lucid dreaming.” ~Saatchi Art