2015 Indiegogo Campaign
The New City Arts: Gallery, Office, and Studio Campaign is an opportunity to help equip our new gallery, office, & studio space so that we can better serve local artists.
In the last two years, Charlottesville has lost many downtown art spaces that once supported local artists. Galleries that were essential to our First Friday art walk have closed. Artists struggle to find affordable studio space. Creative, collaborative groups have recently found it difficult to find event venues for small arts performances.
Working through partnerships — like our gallery at a local radio station and a residency at a downtown day shelter — New City Arts has worked to address these needs in alternative spaces. However, our arts events are packed in ad hoc spaces, preventing us from broadening our audience and serving more artists, due to a lack of physical capacity.
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY: Within the last year, New City Arts began looking for a physical space that would position us to better serve the Charlottesville arts community. We needed it to be:
Centrally located on the Downtown Pedestrian Mall, so we could provide a new venue for Charlottesville's First Friday art walk.
Versatile enough to support our staff offices, a gallery, studio space, and events.
Affordable, so that we could steward our financial resources well.
A few months ago, 114 3rd Street N.E. — a 1400 sq. ft. downtown, storefront property with a brick exterior and modern interior — became available. Last month (September 2015), we moved in and opened a new art space in this location called Welcome Gallery.
This new location houses our staff offices, a gallery with monthly exhibit openings and weekly open hours, a short-term residency program for local artists, and a downtown event venue for small arts performances.
ABOUT THE NEED: For the last five years, the New City Arts headquarters was located at The Haven, a community partner whose facilities provided us with tables, a printer, desks, chairs, a copier, lights, heat, air conditioning, filing cabinets, trash cans, event space, event tables, event chairs, a kitchen, phone, and internet.
Our new downtown location (114 3rd St. NE) is an exciting opportunity to provide a much-needed, multi-function space for our community. However, in order to provide artist services and regular community outreach, we need:
Equipment for Public and Community Events
Professional Facilities for Artists
Necessary Gallery, Office, and Studio Furniture
Increased Storage
Improved Accessibility
This equipment, furniture, storage, and minor renovations will greatly impact our ability to provide artist services and host community events.
How Can We Achieve This?
This is where you come in. New City Arts is a community-based Initiative, so we need your help as we take this important step. If you support this project, you're not just investing in this space; you're investing in artists themselves and the community surrounding them.
To watch the full video, consider our perks, and donate, visit our Indiegogo Campaign online.