Terra Firm
By David S. Lewis
Columbus Alive
May 3, 2007
Terra Gallery, the Short North's newest art venue, opened its doors for the first time during April Gallery Hop, but the gallery space is just part of a bigger plan for owner and artist Jeff Hersey.
Hersey intends to provide affordable original art for a diverse clientele. As more condos arise and the area fills with young urbanites, he believes that Short North galleries will have to meet a higher demand for affordably priced original art. And if you can't afford a painting, well, you could just rent it.
"We will work with developers, designers and retailers, leasing art for both residential and corporate space," Hersey explained. The leases will typically run six months.
A longtime Columbus resident, Hersey represents more than 180 artists across the nation through his art auction website, AbstractEarth.com. He plans to plumb his network for Terra shows, keeping artists' work on view longer than galleries with a strict monthly exhibition turnover, while still saving room in the spotlight for a rotation of emerging local talent.
"Urban professionals are interested in owning and supporting local art," he said. "There is a lot of satisfaction in owning an original work."
Gallery director Amanda Julca, an Otterbein grad with concentrations in painting and art history, seems excited to undertake the demands of running a gallery in the Short North. Julca participated in the gallery's first exhibition, which also included works from Gordon Lee, Jane Grimm, Sunny Belliston and V Mann.
For May's Contemporary Media show, works from Seth Scantlen, Jen Adrion and many others will be added to space. Julca hopes that her own experience as an artist will aid her in her directorial role and help her stay sympathetic to the needs of her artists.
Outside of exhibitions, the folks at Terra Gallery have some interesting plans for future Hops, including live music and models posing on the brick patio outside their front door for figure artists to paint on site.
