The Garage

In this time of downsizing, becoming small is hip. But what does it mean when you are already working with something tiny? Are you uber-cool? That's the feeling I've been getting about Kate Daughdrill and Sam Bush who created, curate and maintain The Garage - the tiniest exhibition space I have ever seen.

The Garage (literally a stand alone one car garage) quietly opened about a year ago – at a time when other art spaces were thinking of closing or changing course. In a short time, this microscopic space has hosted a huge number of successful events and put itself solidly on the map as one of Charlottesville, Virginia's premier exhibition and entertainment spaces. It is also becoming one of the best commercial spaces for emerging artists who are lucky enough to exhibit there. So, keep your eyes and ears open for upcoming events and put The Garage on your must see calendar.

Recently, Kate was asked a series of questions about The Garage for an article in Proximity Magazine (in Chicago). Kate originally posted this Q&A in an art blog, The Art Klatch, but has been kind enough to allow me to reprint it. Here is what The Garage is all about... in Kate's own words:

1. Does the space have a particular feeling, philosophy, or attitude? What kinds of things happen there?

The Garage is an art space/concert venue/amateur film theater/impromptu studio/potluck dining hall that opens up to a public park in downtown Charlottesville. We host monthly art exhibitions by emerging artists, weekly concerts by local and regional bands, occasional film screenings, local potlucks, sing-a-longs, dance parties, artist talks, drawing nights, etc. Creative activities occur alongside the exhibitions, allowing people to connect, make, and question together after the initial presentation of the work. The Garage's strange publicness makes the tiny space wildly accessible and yet incredibly intimate.

2. What factors lead to choosing the physical space? How was it designed?

It actually feels like the space chose us. I just walked past it one day and realized it was an art space. It belongs to the church where some of us go, so we asked the pastor if we could use it; he gave the music minister who was parking there her two-weeks notice that day.

The physical format of the Garage is perfect for presenting artwork in a "public yet private" context. After chiseling up most of the tar from the black cement floor, we installed a new laminate wood floor, which allows us to appropriate a bit of the visual language of a traditional gallery. The square opening of the Garage serves as our "frame" while the amphitheatre-like seating on the hill across the street provides a "viewing platform" for shows, performances, and creative activities.

3. What sorts of projects are in store for the space?

Along with our ongoing exhibitions and concerts, we’re also looking forward to our upcoming ambient-music-and-pancakes sleepover, our first really free market, and an exciting, relational project by Grand Rapids-based artist Adam Wolpa. We try not to plan too far in advance since we constantly have community members coming to us with ideas for shows and projects. We hope to be an organic, relational space that says "yes" as much as possible.

4. What role does the space play in the community?

We provide an intimate setting for engagement with art (and each other) in the public realm. Since it's a fairly small town, most of our regulars are neighbors who walk or ride their bikes to the space. However, each time the Garage's door is open, a baffling number of people passing by stop to ask questions about the space or exhibition and then end up hanging around, experiencing the artwork, and getting to know us. Our shows and activities often feel like mini-block parties that create a temporary site for community, collaboration, and conversation.

5. With unlimited resources, what would you do with the space? What kind of infrastructural support would you want?

Although we like our industrial, clamp-on lights, we would purchase some type of track lighting to simply the installation and gallery sitting processes. We would also buy a few space heaters to keep the space cozy in the colder months and plant a garden in the little backyard behind the Garage. And of course, it would be nice to pay the artists and bands for their time and to have salaries so that facilitating the Garage could be our full time jobs!

6. What are other spaces or places that you like?

The Garage loves the Suburban, InCUBATE Chicago, the Nest of G-RAD.ORG, the Bridge, the Project Lodge, the Experimental Station, and the DAAC.