Next at CARAVAN PLUS

So for all you followers who already know, as well as those who are just joining in, for the past few weeks CARAVAN PLUS at 69 Union Street has been hosting the works of EIKO & KOMA. And for the next DownStreet Art opening on Thursday, August 29th CARAVAN PLUS is excited to collaborate with dancer/choreographer/performer/artist/investigator Kerri Countryman for a site-specific performance, inhabit (artifact).

inhabit (artifact) will take place in and around the “CARAVAN PLUS” exhibition. The piece draws from elements found in Eiko & Koma’s work, juxtaposing movement with environment to provoke the audience to question and ponder their own relationship with everyday notions of time, space, and their surroundings. Viewers will have the opportunity to witness Countryman at various stages of inhabiting the space, which includes the gallery and its surroundings. The audience is free to come and go as they please for the duration of the performance, while also viewing the exhibition. Following the performance, there will be an informal artist reception from 8:15 to 9pm.

There will be food, there will be drinks, and there will be creative collaborations all around!

There will also be a Trolley service providing transportation from Main Street up to 69 Union Street for your convenience.

Spreading The Word

All time high number of visiters yesterday! Nothing like a nice Saturday afternoon to bring people out and about. Just follow the green DownStreet Art footprints up to 69 Union Street to see what CARAVAN PLUS is all about!

And We’re Open!

This gallery contains 4 photos.

After the much anticipated exhibition opening Wednesday night and performance for DownStreet Art Thursay, CARAVAN PLUS at 69 Union Street up and running! Gallery hours are Wednesday – Friday 12 to 6, Saturday 10 to 6, and Sunday 10 to … Continue reading →

Feelin’ Good

It’s starting to feel real! I got my first official visiters today! A couple from Manhattan stopped in today to see the exhibition because they saw it on the DownStreet Art Map.

Unfortunately I had to inform them that the exhibition doesn’t officially open until Wednesday Evening. It’s quite exciting to see that CARAVAN PLUS is already drumming up some interest!

Keep it coming folks! See you at the exhibition!

What Friends Are For

This gallery contains 5 photos.

Thanks to my army of fellow Gallery Managers who helped me this morning! We have so much of EIKO & KOMA’s work that we are turning the two side rooms into additional photo galleries! It’s a bit more work but … Continue reading →

Let There Be White

 

 

 

Before

After

Yayyyyyy the walls are finally white! Now its time to fill them with art!

Caravan to CARAVAN PLUS

It has been quite the first week, so let me update you with the latest developments!

As the gallery renovations are coming along, it is time to focus on the exhibition itself. Up unitl this point last week what we knew was that 69 Union Street was going to be home for The Caravan of EIKO & KOMA’s The Caravan Project. What we didn’t know was what else we were going to get from the artists collection of work. Therefore, a trip to KOMA’s appartment in NYC was in order!

The meeting was very successful. It was decided that the exhibition would include several large scale photographs that capture the beautiful strokes of the duo’s movement and 7 video boxes that allow the audience to peer down inside and view past performances. We will also be exhibiting various pieces from different sets including drops and costumes, most of which are hand made by EIKO & KOMA themselves! Its shaping up to be an enticing exhibition with a breadth of art to display.

Here are some images from past EIKO & KOMA exhibitions. Not all the same pieces will be shown but its a preview of what we have in store…

Step By Step

When the time has come to start the work on the transformation, the question, how do you take an old building with no power or running water and quite a bit of fixing up to do and turn it into an art gallery, still begs to be answered. Step by step, that’s how…

Step One: Find A Water Source

Thankfully, a neighboring business happens to have a water spigot! A big thank you goes out to Litco Supply for graciously allowing me to fill buckets after buckets of water!

Step Two: Remove the Sahara Desert from my gallery!!

This image shows only 1 of 7 plies of dirt, and after an hour and a half of sweeping I’m beginning to wonder if it we should have just given into the dirt and made this place into a beach instead…

Step 3: Let There Be Light

Now that the floor is manageable, it is time to turn our attention to those beautiful windows, and only one thing stands in the way, Window Snow… Window Snow has got to be the most annoying material I’ve ever come in contact with. This white spay powder substance that was covering every window in the space took a broom, 3 cloth rags, 4 buckets of water, a mop, and 2 different cleaning solvents to remove. Oh and a lot of elbow grease. And I’m proud to announce that by the end of the day I had several visiters stop by to inquire about what was going on in the space because they could see me working through the sparkling clean windows.

My reply was….. DownStreet Art, of course! We’re bringing you the works of EIKO & KOMA, internationally known Japanese artists, most recently seen in the MoMA!

So there you have it, Step By Step is how we get work done, and get the word out about great art as well. Stay tuned, we have less than 3 weeks to make this dealership into DownStreet Art material. Can it be done you ask? Follow and find out 🙂

Dealership to DownStreet Art

So here at DownStreet Art we like to take to the old, forgotten, and/or unwanted spaces of North Adams and give ’em a little TCL to show everyone one out there the potential they have to be great! This particular space happens to be 69 UNION STREET. Old, forgotton car dealership you say? How about huge space with excellent natural light from the 6 amazing floor to ceiling windows along the side wall, that’s what we say!

So how do you take an old building with no power or running water and quite a bit of fixing up to do and turn it into an art gallery worthy of showing an internationally renown artist? Well that’s what we’re about to find out. Follow the journey of this dealership to DownStreet Art by keeping up with the posts at https://caravan69union.wordpress.com!

CARAVAN

Coming Soon to a Gallery near you, as a part of DownStreet Art in North Adams, Massachusetts! http://www.downstreetart.org/