New artist coop Shared Space opens today

Posted in ARTS by Erin Gillman on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at 6:00 am

Downtown Urbana offers representation to artists wanting to put their art on display. New artists toying with the idea of making jewelry, painting or sculpting can be featured next to seasoned veterans of photography with only a small annual fee to help pay the rent.

One quick peek inside the window of Shared Space: An Artist Coop in downtown Urbana reveals that something new is coming to a boil. Susan Pryde can be seen painting tables white as artists mill in and out displaying a candy store variety of mixed media handcrafted art. The blossoming space has come to fruition in the form of an artist coop, where the artists help pay the rent while displaying their mixed bag of works, from jewelry to wire sculpture and photography to paintings. 

Today the coop will be holding a 'soft' opening, but they hope to have a grand opening in about a month after they gain speed and receive constructive criticism from the public.

The artist coop started as a very simple (and plausible) idea for Marlene Mahon three months ago. As if creating unique works of art wasn't enough, artists can potentially have a difficult time finding areas to display their work for the public. With the birth of Shared Space, artists will simply pay for the space and in return receive space in which to display and shop for art of all sorts without a time limit.

Artists will have the power to name their own prices and expand their presentation of art as the coop itself expands in the coming months. The coop currently has five members, but it hopes to expand in both artists and space. As more artists jump on board, the coop has more space available for rent in the building.

The idea of renting out space to artists is not a new one — places like Café Kopi, Café Paradiso, Cinema Gallery, Krannert Art Museum, Radio Maria and Wind, Water and Light Gallery have also dedicated their walls to artists, and have provided them with a jumping-off point in the community. Urbana's public art scene will also be gaining speed thanks to the Urbana Sculpture Project launched by the Urbana Public Arts Commission for 2010.

The difference with Shared Space is that the artists can have absolute control over their pieces without having to go through a mediator. It also provides a setting in which local artists can team up, share resources and work on new art together.

With many bodies drifting in and out of the space in the past few weeks, interest has been sparked and the general public is ready to see what has been created on Main St. in Urbana.

"You're the fourth person to stop in today asking about the opening," Pryde explains. "It seems like there's a lot of interest in the business so far." It appears Smile Politely is not the only one peeking.

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