Florence’s fledgling, downtown art scene is shifting a bit.
The pioneer Art Trail Gallery, which occupied the Waters/Kimbrell building since its inception, is moving around the corner to the Bo Smith building on the corner of West Evans and Irby streets.
The move was necessitated by the July purchase of the Waters/Kimbrell building on South Dargan Street. The same group that is renovating space on West Evans for a new, upscale hotel and restaurant, is renovating the Waters/Kimbrell bulding as office space. The group already has paying tenants lined up.
That forced to the gallery to find a new home.
Current plans are to start renovating in the new location this week. The re-opening is planned for Nov. 3 to coincide with the Pecan Festival.
Board chairperson Gaye Ham said the new 3,000-square foot gallery is a wide open space with lots of possibilities.
The biggest goal is to get enough volunteers for the gallery to operate regular hours during the day. Since the gallery is volunteer-based, Ham said it’s hard to find people to work during the day. One of the solutions the board is looking at is getting senior volunteers to help out. The board is also considering putting in a coffee bar.
Above all Ham said the gallery wants to be good downtown neighbors and serve as a friendly place where everyone can be comfortable.
“There’s very little in the downtown area that can draw 300-400 people like we do with an exhibit opening,” Ham said. “Our mission is to bring art to the people who normally wouldn’t get it.”
The gallery’s deal for the new space is temporary, although just how temporary that is remains to be seen.
Florence downtown director Ray Reich said there will be a home for the gallery somewhere downtown for as long as can be imagined. The gallery is seen as an asset to downtown, Reich said, and there are other spaces that could accommodate it, such as the Kress building or the former Royal Knight building, also on West Evans Street.
The gallery will be allowed to stay at the Bo Smith building for at least 10 to 12 months.
“It’s basically a month-to-month lease. If the building was purchased, we’d have 60 days to relocate,” Reich said.
The Florence Downtown Development Corporation included the gallery in this year’s budget for the first time. The $25,000 per year allotted to the gallery by the FDDC will be used to pay rent and utilities in the privately owned building. The funding is essentially a replacement for the free space the FDDC donated in the Waters/Kimbrell building. The FDDC owned that building and donated the space to the gallery.
FDDC chairman Tom Ewart Ewart said the gallery is an important part of maintaining the momentum in downtown development.
“We’ve helped arrange a reasonable rent at the new location,” Ewart said. “Hopefully down the road the gallery will get to a point where they will be self-sustaining. We’ll assist them in the best way we can moving forward.”
The gallery’s move will be the first major project under the direction of Ham, who replaces Dr. Jane Madden, the gallery’s chairperson since its inception three years ago. Madden stepped down recently to take care of her health. Madden said the gallery is in good hands.
“We’ve set the processes and procedures in place,” she said. “Now we have a chance for people that have a whole new energy to broaden it. Gaye is passionate about the arts. She’s found some truly incredible people to work with her and she understands.”
Ham said she now sees the scope of Madden’s work.
“We need 30 to 40 people to fill Jane’s shoes,” she said. “It’s amazing what she’s been doing that we didn’t even realize. It’s not easy.”
This article by John D. Russell originally appeared on SCNow.com.
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