New London Galleries

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Comment by ilariapergolesi on February 20, 2010 at 2:00pm

question ... to explain in these galleries ...... how?? Who should I contact?? There are no events of group shows?? let me know ---- www.ilariapergolesi.com

Comment by r.martin on November 7, 2009 at 1:34pm

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/travel/01surfacing.html

Activities and Interests > Art
Surfacing
In Connecticut, New London’s Growing Arts Scene
By LAURA SICILIANO-ROSEN
Published: November 1, 2009

NEW LONDON, in southeastern Connecticut about midway between New York and Boston, seems on paper a lot like Mystic, its neighbor to the east — all sea views, seafood and seafaring history. But unlike that quaint (or perhaps faux quaint) town, New London is becoming as recognized for its independent art scene as for its handsome harbor.

Traditional fine arts have always had a place in New London, and now, despite a dearth of art buyers in the current economy, creativity prevails in the form of new galleries and events with an urban bent, often fusing art with fashion or music, or both. A short walk down Green Street, two blocks from the waterfront, reveals a cluster of new gallery-cum-boutiques.

Muse (102 Golden Street; 860-442-6873), opened in 2007, sells sneakers and skateboards beside rotating works of art, like industrial-looking steel pieces painted with enamel and finished with rust that were available on a recent visit. Owned by Frank Marchany, a part-time D.J., the shop also hosts monthly dance parties. Sneaker prices range from $20 for Vans to $250 for the rare 2006 Air Jordan 4 Black Cat by Nike.

Opposite Muse and a wildly colorful corner — graffiti remnants of the town’s second annual Urban Arts Festival in August — is the Golden Street Gallery (94 Golden Street; 860-444-0659; www.goldenstreetgallery.com), where local artists guest-curate exhibitions, and the owner operates a small bookshop.

A block north, Takeout (15 Green Street; www.takeoutgallery.com) is a tiny gallery showcasing handmade clothing and regional art. Across the street, Aticc (140 Green; 860-443-2842; www.aticcshop.com) similarly focuses on clothing by local designers, including $20 silk-screened Woody Allen T-shirts, and rotates exhibits by emerging artists. Before the designer Cristin Gallagher, 25, opened Aticc in May with her boyfriend, the artist Denny Rivera, she organized fashion shows around town.

“When you realize the potential New London has, you want it to grow,” she said. “It’s like a little thrill, without the intensity of a big city.”

Most prices at the Green Street-area galleries are recession-friendly. Large, dramatic pieces can be as little as $200.

To attract visitors, the four galleries often coordinate their exhibition openings with those of Hygienic Art (79 Bank Street; 860-443-8001; www.hygienic.org), the granddaddy of New London’s indie art scene, two blocks away on the main drag. Back when it was a 24-hour restaurant in 1979, the Hygienic began hosting an annual free-for-all exhibition. When the building was scheduled for demolition in 1996, a grassroots movement saved it. In 2000, the Hygienic Art nonprofit organization was born.

Today, the Hygienic comprises four galleries and an artists’ cooperative; in 2005, an adjacent art park was added to host music, film and theater. But the annual two-week art show, which turns 31 in January, remains its biggest affair.

“It reflects the community’s view of what art is, what they want to create and want people to see,” said the artist and Hygienic volunteer Terry Davis, who signs his work “Davo.”

The Hygienic is no longer a restaurant, so arty locals gather at the couch-strewn Bean & Leaf Coffeehouse (13 Washington Street; 860-701-0000; www.bean-leaf.com), which itself hosts exhibitions, screenings, poetry readings and live music.

Comment by Tiffany Roman on October 6, 2009 at 2:22pm

there's the golden street gallery, the hygienic and the tsetse art gallery on broad street a little ways down from the guard arts theater on the opposite side of the street. that is a really nicely rooted place too. there's these scientific talks there every few weeks about metaphysics and the divine ratio and the like, they're AWESOME.

Comment by Thomas Mitchell on February 23, 2009 at 10:34pm

Good evening, gallery people. You've got to love this town, and here in the frozen dead of winter, this website's helping us keep warm. So let me light a little more fire...

As you all know, HYGIENIC 2.0 is a vehicle we can all ride to the stars, but where it goes and where it stops depends on who's driving. You're driving this set of wheels here. Where would you like to go? The New London Galleries group is the perfect vehicle for promoting New London Galleries (unless I'm missing something?) so I'm excited you're bringing them all in to light up the scene. Needless to say I'm happy to help, so please holler on me if I can do that.

Meantime, I'm curious what you want to do to bring in the other NL Galleries. There's got to be some great ideas floating around out there, and this is the place to spill them!

Comment by kat murphy on February 6, 2009 at 2:32pm

new london galleries... stayin' alive