Rebeca Oliveira
MONUMENT SQ.—Two galleries are opening within a quarter-mile of the Monument, solidifying South Street as the new gallery alley of Jamaica Plain.
Aviary, located at Petal and Leaf’s old home at 48 South St., and UFORGE, located at 767 Centre St., are joining JP Art Market (36 South St.) and the Hallway Gallery (66a South St.).
Aviary opened March 3 with the reception for its first show, “Sound on Sight,” an exhibition of photography taken by 18 local musicians.
Lindsay Metivier, JP resident and owner of Aviary, has never owned a gallery before. She has been a photographer and photography teacher as well as an assistant manager at local thrift shop Boomerangs. That patched background led to a patchwork gallery: “Aside from serving as a gallery, Aviary will offer a curated selection of art, art books, photography, jewelry, books and crafts. Beyond gallery hours, the space will host workshops, lectures, concerts, film screenings and performances,” Metivier wrote to the Gazette in an e-mail.
Artists are welcome to submit their work to Aviary for consideration, Metivier said, as she plans to have both group shows and single-artist shows.
“We’re currently in the midst of planning shows for the rest of the year,” Metivier said. “There is a narrative photography show in the works and a show of art made by artists who work for local businesses in Jamaica Plain,” she added.
UFORGE will be a less-than-conventional gallery space in a wholly different way. Instead of featuring one artist at a time, owners Rob Festa and Brian Crete told the Gazette that they will instead invite artists to submit entries that meet the chosen theme that month. Shows will not be curated—that is, whoever submits their work first gets the wall space.
“UFORGE Gallery’s approach allows artists of all levels the opportunity to show their artwork, without having to worry whether or not they are ‘good enough’ to be accepted and shown alongside other artists… We believe that established artists should be mentors and not necessarily competitors,” they said. “We hope our assignments will challenge many to explore, educate and give them a push to try something they’ve never done before.”
The first show, themed Art Deco, opens April 9, and the gallery itself opens April 3. They’ve had submissions for future shows from as far away as Virginia.
“The location is perfect, easy access to public parking and close to businesses that we feel jive with the feel and mission of the gallery,” the owners said. “We always knew JP would be home to the gallery as we are very involved in the art and theater scene here. Plus, JP is a great place to be!”
Beyond challenges and their exhibits, the owners hops to host workshops and lectures as well as private events.
“We plan to collaborate with our local theater friends, Divine Stage Works and the Footlight Club, bringing new and innovative experiences directly to the gallery and JP,” they said.
For more information on upcoming shows and submission guidelines, visit the gallery websites at aviarygallery.com and uforgegallery.com.