Art Gallery Visit

During Spring Break I visited the Allied Arts Association Gallery, Richland WA, also known as the Gallery at the Park, due to its location. This is a small gallery space, approximately 1,800 square footage, with a great sense of community. Most of the staff organizing the gallery comes from volunteer hands, this wide variety in background makes display-decision-making even more special. The work exhibited the month of March is by the artists  Joyce and Roy Anderson, paintings, and Susan Bernadine Swanson, beadwork. The variety of work displayed allows for different display mechanisms.

Sketch of Allied Arts gallery

The smaller beadwork pieces were displayed in clear plastic and glass cases on a pedestals, of varying shapes and sizes. These pedestals were positioned at the center of the gallery in a diagonal line, while the pedestals were angled to make the display more dynamic. The rest of the exhibition pieces,paintings, were displayed on the walls. In general, when the exhibit contains only two-dimensional work, a set of approximately 6’x 3’ canvas panels is used. These panels were donated by volunteers. Overall the space is open and full of light.
Track lighting is the main source of artificial light for the gallery, with one big “box” fluorescent light fixture on the ceiling, which seems to be used as emergency lighting since it stays on most of the time, even when track lights are off. The tracks run all the way around the perimeter of the ceiling with a few track on the center. One thing that caught my attention, was the amount of natural light in the space.

Sketch of skylights and beams on concave
ceiling.

There are three elongated windows, reaching from the ceiling to the floor.  There is also a row of skylights near the entrance of the gallery space, five windows ranging from, approximately, 5’x 5’ to 4’x 3.’ When asking the staff about the treatment on the windows, they clarified that this information was unknown and that the artwork displayed stays in the gallery for only a month. It is also the responsibility of the artists to protect their work since most of it comes in framed and ready to be displayed, yet the structure of the building allows for minimal damage, if any at all, since there are many interesting angles that shape the structure. Curved walls, and a portion of the roof limit/control the amount of natural light coming in.

Audience is definitely guided through the use of exhibit pieces and position of any movable devices, panels, cases and/or pedestals. As mentioned before, the pedestals were positioned in a centered diagonal line, diving the space into two zones, foreground and background. Key elements such as the artists’ names and their “star” piece, usually positioned under the name, go on the back wall; clearly visible from the entrance to the gallery emphasized with a spotlight. There is also a special challenge at this gallery space since they have to display work on a curved wall, limiting the positioning of big art pieces on this wall.

As many other gallery spaces, the environment colors are white and soft neutrals. The walls are white with a satin finish, a bit of light is reflected yet a balance between function and aesthetic is kept  since it is easier to maintain this finish than a matte finish. The floor is covered with a gray carpet, complemented by an off-white/gray grid paneling system on the ceiling. These color choices allow the artwork to shine without any visual distractions in the environment.
Overall this was a great visit, I got to learn about gallery spaces while enjoying a great exhibit. This confirms why I have decided to become an interior designer, realizing how small details such as lighting or color direct us in a space unconsciously,this is just amazing!