Starting All Over Again

Paul O'Keeffe's exhibition dazzles in the intensity of its light, with fluorescent paints and sheets of light-gathering acrylic.


It's been a week now, since the opening of the new galleries, with a holiday to add additional perspective. I entered into the expansion with a lot of guesses - most of them good, I think. But I have begun enough art projects over the years to have little confidence in initial expectations, knowing that there is learning that happens, changing perspective and imperatives. I feel like I am starting all over again.

In part, the gallery has always been a laboratory for me to work out ideas, to explore the possibilities of art and audience in our city. This continues. What seems most exciting is that I will have the opportunity to have several exhibitions on view at the same time, but not necessarily of the same length of time, overlaying each other, creating a narrative that is more reflective of the on-going narrative of ideas in Cleveland's community of visual artists.

The gallery will have seven or eight openings a year - the Friday after Labor Day; the Friday in October 5 weeks later; the Friday before Thanksgiving; sometimes the first Friday in the new year; and then shows opening in early February, mid March, late April, and early June. At each opening, at least one show will open, but most often two, and occasionally three.

One of the shows at each opening will be of an artist who I will represent on an on-going basis. Generally, this show will have a catalog and will be scheduled 1.5 to 2.5 years in advance. Most other shows will usually be specific to a body of work or a tight concept and will usually be scheduled 3 to 9 months in advance. And then I will have shows that open without openings and might be scheduled as little in advance as a month, a week, or a day.

I'm always interested in knowing what you'd like to see.