Windgate Gallery at The ARTSpace on Main Now Open
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Gallery Assistant Kayla Earnest straightens artwork by John Kushmaul in the Windgate Community Gallery. The gallery is part of The ARTSpace on Main, 623 S. Main St., a new extension of The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas.
ARTSpace, ART WORKS Facilities Available For Private Rentals
The Windgate Community Gallery is open 12–5 p.m. Tuesday–Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at The ARTSpace on Main, 623 S. Main St.
A century-old brick building long used for prop storage and set construction is now an open and bright home to offices, a gallery, and space for art and events.
In less than two years, the 11,000-square-foot structure at 623 S. Main St. — once home to businesses and a fire station — has transformed into The ARTSpace on Main. A project of The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, the mixed-use building features gallery and event space, and facilities for educational and community programming.
ASC recently opened a retail gallery in The ARTSpace and is also making the facility available to rent for private functions.
The building supplements ASC’s main building at 701 S. Main St. Along with ART WORKS on Main, 627 S. Main St., the three facilities comprise ASC’s new “ARTx3” campus and initiative.
The project is generously funded by the Windgate Foundation, the Mid-America Arts Alliance, the National Endowment of the Arts, and the state arts agencies of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. The ARTSpace and ART WORKS are also supported by the Kline Family Foundation and from donations to the Adam B. Robinson Jr. Endowment Fund.
The ASC Endowment Fund purchased the building in the 1990s to use for ASC’s theater program. The Windgate grant receival and ARTSpace project were announced in November 2018, and renovation began in February 2020.
Pressed tin ceiling tiles downstairs, original hardwood floors upstairs, and a preserved indoor advertising mural are character-filled reminders of the building’s past life. New features include glass-paned garage doors separating the spaces, and a striking outdoor staircase.
Explore Pine Bluff’s Jimmy Cunningham (left) and Rhodes Daigle, The ARTSpace on Main’s public programs coordinator, chat in the Kline Family Foundation Event Gallery. The large room — which includes the building’s original tin ceiling tiles — is one of the spaces available for community programming and private rentals at ASC’s new facility.
“I am excited to just see the surprised or ‘Oh, wow’ expression on visitors’ faces when they walk in through the doors and see the creative use of old and new features of the buildings,” said Dr. Rachel Miller, ASC’s executive director.
“After the first impression, visitors then realize that The ARTSpace and ART WORKS provide diverse opportunities for community engagement,” Miller said. “That is what makes me happy — knowing visitors realize that The ARTSpace and ART WORKS are arts + events spaces for the community.”
Downstairs, The ARTSpace contains the Windgate Community Gallery; Kline Family Foundation Event Gallery; a kitchenette; and a large workshop for theater set construction and art/crafting classes.
Upstairs, The Loft Gallery provides additional event and gallery space, and has hosted recent exhibitions including Small Works on Paper and University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff senior art student shows. The second floor also includes offices, a computer lab, and costume shop for ASC’s theater program.
Out back, the ART Yard provides additional space and fresh air. It has already been the site of events including ASC’s monthly concert series Live @ 5, and a free screening this summer of Pixar’s Soul, presented with the Arkansas Cinema Society. The ART Yard includes found-metal sculptures and a container garden. Canvas sails will soon offer shade.
Artists with work for sale include Dustyn Bork, Kristin DeGeorge, Karen DeJarnette, Kimiara Johnson, Myriad of Mischief jewelry, and Miranda Young. Items and artists are being added on a continuous basis.
Windgate Community Gallery
Visitors to The ARTSpace enter through the Windgate Community Gallery, a retail space featuring art, books and gifts by local and regional artists. The gallery is open noon to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.
ARTSpace gallery assistant Kayla Earnest greets visitors. “There is definitely a community feel to the Windgate Community Gallery,” she said. “I also get to meet all of the people who come to view the artwork and tell them about the different artists. Visitors also have the opportunity to make a purchase and take a little bit of the gallery home with them.”
Artists with work for sale include Dustyn Bork, Cathy Burns, Jerry Colburn, Creative Cords Macrame, Richard Davies, Kristin DeGeorge, Karen DeJarnette, Gerry Delongchamp, Scinthya Edwards, Eric Freeman, Kimiara Johnson, John Kushmaul, Myriad of Mischief jewelry, Daniella Napolitano, Torri Richardson, and Miranda Young. Items and artists are being added on a continuous basis.
The Windgate gallery is currently Pine Bluff’s only commercial gallery.
Miller said, “We wanted to provide an opportunity for area artists — including students — to not only sell their artwork, but receive exposure.”
Workshops & Classes
Community members also have opportunities to create their own art, with a number of hands-on workshops scheduled. Those include an abstract sculpture workshop with UAPB’s Jonathan Wright on Thursday, Sept. 16.
Teen and adult workshops in lampworking — the art of fashioning objects from glass tubing using a torch — are set for Sept. 25 and Oct. 2, respectively. More classes are in the works, said Rhodes Daigle, the new Public Programs Coordinator at The ARTSpace on Main.
“We are planning to diversify our workshops to include more mediums,” he said. “As of now, we are focusing on visual arts but I am working on getting some meditation, yoga, or tai chi workshops started. Another project that I am looking forward to is an improv or comedy workshop in our black box theater.”
Daigle continued, “My hope is that these workshops can bring the community together over shared interests or passions. It is a great way to have community members share an experience. But I also hope that participants can learn something from these workshops that is valuable, even if it is something they may not pursue further. Of course, I would also love it if our participants found a new hobby or passion they would like to continue further from our workshops.”
Rentals Available
The ARTSpace and ART WORKS facilities are also available to rent. Due to the flexible layout of The ARTSpace and ART WORKS design, the public spaces can accommodate a variety of rental events, Miller said.
“The Loft Gallery in The ARTSpace is perfect for wedding rehearsal dinners or baby shower parties. The Kline Family Foundation Event Gallery provides a great location for meetings and presentations. The ART WORKS lobby is ideal for a cocktail party.”
Sponsors and higher-level ASC members receive discounts. More information about rentals is available at asc701.org/rental.
In response to interest to photograph at the new buildings, ASC is also offering hourly rentals for photo shoots.
“All the spaces make for a funky or elegant background for any photo shoot,” Miller said.
