UVa's Off-Grounds Gallery

After reading Brendan Fitzgerald’s article in C-ville Weekly about the UVa Art Department’s exhibition spaces Rawstuff and Off-Grounds Gallery I was driven to find out more. Brendan reported that the Off-Grounds Gallery will cease its operation at the end of this school year. Dang! This is one of the best things going for Virginia art students – being able to exhibit their work in a commercial gallery setting far from the safe confines of the University (Off-Grounds Gallery is located at the corner of Main Street and McIntire Road). What a great opportunity for students to experience the realities of exhibiting their work in the "real world." Not to mention, the potential of getting feedback/critiques from outside the inner sanctum of their collegiate circle (e.g. me).

I gave a call to William Bennett, associate professor of art, and asked what the future of the Off-Grounds Gallery is. He confirmed that it will indeed close after June 1, and there is no current plan to find an alternative off-grounds location. Apparently, the McIntire Road location was always intended to be temporary. It simply filled the need for exhibition space until the completion of Ruffin Hall (pictured) – the new home for the Studio Arts Department – scheduled to open this coming fall (fingers crossed). Bennett says the new building will offer ample wall and floor space needed for students to exhibit their work.

I’m happy to hear of updated facilities for the students, but am entirely disappointed there will no longer be an organized opportunity for them exhibit outside of the university. Exposure for an artist is paramount to their career. Limiting that exposure to the very few who wander through the university halls is a shame.

Writer’s note: I hope UVa officials see the advantage an off-grounds exhibition space gives its art department over other competing schools. What a tremendous teaching resource.

So… For good or for bad, I plan to give some attention to these last remaining exhibits at the Off-Grounds Gallery with the intention of offering a little feedback and exposure to the young artists. As I understand it, exhibits are scheduled one per week. I’ll try to stay on top of them all, but I already noticed the show that opened Friday has already been taken down (glad I stopped by Saturday). Stay tuned for my reports.