Area 15
by Ashlynn Browning @ 12:37 pm.
While visiting my hometown, Charlotte, over Easter, I received a much needed jolt of inspiration at the alternative art space Area 15. My friend Scott Partridge (who paints under the name Jeva) was showing work there and invited me to stop by for an open house event.
Area 15 is a renovated (and I use that word lightly) warehouse which features artist studios and display areas. The name is a play on “Area 51” and on the venue’s location, the corner of North Davidson and 15th St. This is a spot somewhat off the established NODA arts district beat and thus, still possesses an “outsider” artist feel rather than a slick gallery persona. Sticking with the 15 theme, they feature an open house on the 15th of very month, which is what I happened to catch this time around. I feel lucky I did.
The open house atmosphere was diverse, laidback, noisy, blazing hot, and incredibly vital. In short, it was fun. Makeshift walls of PVC pipe and clear plastic divide the large building into smaller rooms where artists set up their work. On the night I was there, this included everything from landscape to surrealist paintings, ceramic sculpture, jewelry, and portraits sculpted from wire. The art was casually hung, propped, and laid out on tables. Refreshments were set up haphazardly and had the look of potluck contributions. There was no order to this place, just a welcoming attitude and a lot of people coming together over a love of creativity. The experimental bands Deformati and Mons Verena http://www.monsvenera.com/ played all night and I spotted everyone from local art hipsters to Charlotte yuppies, and strangely, even a lone toddler, dancing and having a great time.
It’s interesting to observe in an instance like this, that once art is removed from its pristine gallery walls and air of pretension (the latter which, nobody, including us artists, likes) people can enjoy themselves freely without feeling distanced or threatened. This doesn’t mean doing away with challenging ideas in art, but rather minimizing the hushed reverence that often surrounds their presentation. By showing work in its natural environment, the grubby, raw aesthetic of the studio, there is a closer link to the spirit of its creation, and I think that authenticity is felt and appreciated. Area 15 seems to have struck the right balance in this regard, and I’ll be eager to follow their events in the future.
For more information, email: cepsin3@juno.com
Ashlynn Browning