Pop-up Galleries

See how Arizona’s depressed real estate market is giving artists a chance to showcase their work in one of the Valley’s premier locations.

Transcript:

Ted Simons:
Artists are getting a chance to show their work in one of premier locations. Galleries here today but could be gone tomorrow. We go to some of these pop-up galleries.

Ted Simons:
Arizona's depressed real state market is giving artists a chance to show their work In one of the valley's premier locations the artists are popping up in galleries in Scottsdale's arts district. Galleries that are here today but could be gone tomorrow.

Colton Showne:
Jean RASHKIND has been an artist all of her life. Her medium of choice? Paint.

Jean Rashkind:
The painting is about the pure excitement and joy of paint and an opportunity to express everything that I am, that I can't really express in my day-to-day life. They'd probably lock me up.

Colton Showne:
Her work has been featured in shows across the country but for the past five months, she's had a taste of what having my own gallery would be like.

Jean Rahskind:
I just said, I'm interested in this space and basically they signed me up without looking at my work.

Colton Showne
Her space is called pop-up gallery. A play on words for what it is. A pop-up gallery. She temporarily rents out the space for a cheaper rate until someone rented it out for the going rate.

Bently Calverly:
Pop-up galleries are something that I first came in contact with in London. As storefronts were empty, someone had -- and I don't know whom, but someone had the great idea of putting artists in there because it creates some energy, it's much better than looking at a dark hole as you're walking down a retail street.

Colton Showne:
Bently gallery owner Bently Calverly is responsible for bring this art gallery concept to Scottsdale art district.

Bently Calverly:
Didn't really make the connection to Scottsdale. Until the building across the street was empty for so long.

Colton Showne:
Calverly cut A deal with landlords to start these galleries and many local artists were interested but it wasn't easy to sign them up.

Bently Calverly:
Some of them were reluctant to be in such a tenuous situation where they would have expended a great effort and could be removed in a short period of time.

Colton Showne:
Emmett potter is also a temporary gallery owner. He says the concept has done wonders for his art sales.

Emmet potter:
About a week after we got in, we sold our first piece. So we started getting more art work in and a week later, we sold our second piece and finally started bringing in more people.

Colton Showne:
His gallery, squeeze, has been here since February. He hopes he'll be able to rent out the space long term.

Emmet potter:
People like this. I've had people come in here telling me they're happy a gallery like this in Phoenix and Scottsdale exists.

Colton Showne:
Many people across the valley spend Thursday evenings on the art block. Going inside to meet localartists. Calverly said these pop-up galleries bring people to theatre that would not otherwise come.

Bently Calverly:
One the spaces had an opening and we figured there were about 600 people. And that 600 people in my opinion we would not have had on the street if it weren't for that gallery.

Colton Showne:
As for the pop-up galleries, are they here to stay? Only time will tell. But rashkin knows it was just supposed to be a temporary setup.

Jean Rahskin:
Unfortunately, that's already come to pass because it turns out somebody did rent the space and so pop-up gallery is going to have to pop-up somewhere else after this month.

Colton Showne:
She's losing her space this month, but happy she got the opportunity.

Jean Rashkin:
It's been awesome. I mean, just to be able to participate in the art walk every Thursday night and, you know, have all of that exposure and be able to, you know, make the space mine and just set it up how I want to show the works I want to show and, yes, it's been awesome.

Ted Simons:
The pop-up galleries are great for artists and landlords and good for surrounding businesses that say they benefit from the additional foot traffic.

Ted Simons:
That's it for now. I'm Ted Simons. Thank you very much for joining us. You have a great evening!