934 Gallery celebrates fifth anniversary as Columbus not-for-profit art space

Laura Smith
Wed, 02 Dec 2020 00:45:41 +0000
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“934 5: a Fifth Anniversary Retrospective” will open Dec.4 and will run through Dec. 19, featuring 100 pieces of art from 50 artists.? Credit: Courtesy of Emma Brown

934 Gallery will be combining newness and nostalgia in an exhibition created to celebrate their fifth year of showing art.

“934 5: a Fifth Anniversary Retrospective” will open Friday and will run through Dec. 19. The exhibition will feature 100 pieces of art from 50 artists who’ve all had their work shown at the gallery before, Johnny Riddle, the executive director of 934 Gallery, said. The exhibition will include a wide variety of art types, such as 2D paintings, photography, sculptures and fabric pieces.

Riddle said the exhibition will feature pieces specifically created for this event, pieces from past exhibitions and pieces that are related to the artist’s original work for the gallery that have not been shown before.

“We looked at curating a diverse range of artists who have been featured here, both in voices as well as types of artwork they produce, to get a really holistic view of the type of arts experiences that you’re gonna get and you have gotten at 934 over the past five years,” Riddle said.

In addition to the exhibition, the gallery is hosting “Retrospective Round Table,” a talk featuring Riddle, the three original founders — Mark Warren Jacques, Kyle Charles and Curtis Cole —? and two former gallery directors — Lisa Steward and Abigail Hartung —? Dec. 12 at 1 p.m., according to 934’s website. The event will be posted on the gallery’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

934 Gallery is a not-for-profit, staffed entirely by volunteers, and was founded in 2015 by artists from Milo Arts, a live-work artist community in Columbus, to be a place to create accessible art experiences in the Milo-Grogan neighborhood, Riddle said.

Despite struggling with business due to the lack of restaurants and bars in the area, Riddle said 934 has clearly succeeded at their goal, putting on monthly, free exhibitions and featuring over 300 artists in more than 50 exhibitions during the five years they’ve been open.??

Riddle said the exhibition is both a celebration of 934’s success and, hopefully, a chance to introduce newcomers to the gallery.

“We’re trying to provide a comfortable space, or a welcoming space, for those who both know and understand art — who are educated in art — to appreciate the level of what we exhibit, but also to build a(n) opportunity for those who may not be as well-versed in the arts to come experience and learn a variety of types of work and learn about artists who were living in their community,” Riddle said.

934 Gallery is also a welcoming space for its artists, Dana Harper, a longtime friend of the gallery, whose art will be featured in the upcoming exhibition, said.

“That’s what I really like about that space, is they don’t push commercial work. They allow the artist to make whatever they want,” Harper said. “They really allow the artist to have all of the creative agency.”?

Harper said one of the gallery’s strong suits is that it features diversity in both the artwork shown and the artists hosted.

“I think that they’re one of the galleries that’s really open to unconventional work — work that you may not be able to see in a Short North gallery because they’re not always meant to be sold,” Harper said. “I think that the work at 934 is meant to be thought about. Introducing new ideas, new mediums, new ways of working, new concepts, and I think that that’s super important.”?

The opening reception of “934 5: a Fifth Anniversary Retrospective” will take place Friday at 7 p.m. The exhibition is free and will run through Dec. 19. A virtual walkthrough of the exhibition will be available on 934 Gallery’s website.