Featured Project
There is an exciting new gallery in the Crane Building located in the Old Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia joyfully titled Box Spring Gallery, a brainchild of curator and creative director Gaby Heit. Gaby and I go way back to when I knew her as the director of Prelude Gallery in center-city Philadelphia. With her extensive background in both art and design, this place of her own sets high expectations for fresh, new work that is multidisciplinary and accessible.
AS: Your gallery is a wonderful addition to the Crane Building, how are you finding yourself at home in this creative hub?
GH: After years of pop-ups, one-off shows, and putting together exhibitions for a variety of arts organizations, it was really a dream of mine to find a place of my own. I’ve been primarily working at home, so it’s very nice to have somewhere to go. The best part of being in the Crane building (and you’re right, it is a creative hub), is being somewhere familiar and a contributor. I like to think Box Spring can add something a little different to the ground floor, while also taking part in a larger creative community. It feels great to be included!
We had an amazing opening reception, which was also our gallery launch party. The other galleries also had exhibition openings, which happen every second Thursday of the month. Philadelphia has a wonderful, welcoming creative community, and what’s really nice is that I’m not just inviting people to Box Spring; I’m inviting them to the Crane, which has even more.
AS: Boxspring had an exciting opening month, what is your vision for the gallery, your collectors, and the general public?
GH: My interests have always leaned to where art, science, and design meet. My previous career was in magazine publishing, working as a graphic designer and creative director, so I naturally have a love for printed material and works on paper. One thing I’ve always felt strongly about is if it’s something made to be seen, it needs to be seen. It can’t just live in a drawer at home, it has to be shared with the public (or at least an art and design community)! When I ran the AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) Philadelphia SPACE, our mission was to bring the art of graphic design and visual communications to the public, and there was so much content. I couldn’t believe it wasn’t being shown. I put together 54 exhibitions for AIGA Philadelphia alone.
AS: The current show is a great marriage of art and design, can you talk a little bit about your vision?
GH: How I see where art and design meet is as a specific practice, where the artwork has a deliberate plan and pattern. Sometimes, it’s repeated shapes, sometimes it’s a balance of composition, but it’s always the design of a process-driven work that takes precedence. I’ve been pretty obsessed with Memphis design (Memphis Milano and its many imitators) for a few years now. It’s a style that’s so easy to love and hate at the same time. It’s a controversial but really fun and happy design, and it defined the 1980s.
The three artists in the current show (Terri Fridkin, Jeff Harris, and Robert Reinhardt) bring to mind the best attributes and nostalgia of the style. And they present so nicely together. It’s so colorful and a great way to celebrate the new gallery! With many studio visits and having worked as a creative consultant for local artists for some time now, there are things I’m planning for Box Spring that have been simmering on the back burner for years; just waiting for the opportunity! I’ve been told I have the talent of putting artists together who complement each other perfectly and may not have ever worked together otherwise.
AS: What are your plans for the near future? I hear you have quite a few things lined up!
GH: I’m looking forward to participating in some of the city-wide festivals like the 20/20 Photo Festival in September, Design Philadelphia, and Philadelphia Open Studio Tours in October. I am really excited for the Fall. With a focus on graphic design, I plan to exhibit work that centers on messaging and visual communication above all. I also have some terrific artist pairings coming up that are so perfect, it’s crazy that they’ve never shown together. I would also like to start planning a Call for Art for a juried show. That might be my summer project. I’ve discovered some of my favorite artists through Call for Art submissions.
About the writer: Anna Shukeylo is an artist, writer, educator, and curator working and living in the New York Metropolitan area. She has written for Artcritical, Painters on Painting, and ArtSpiel. Her paintings have been exhibited in solo exhibitions at Kean University, NJ, Manchester University, IN, and in group shows at Auxier/Kline, Equity Gallery, Stay Home Gallery, among others. @annashukeylo