Paraphrasing Picasso, Chuck Stableford explains his basic goal as the managing director of the Emerging Artists Initiative nonprofit: “You give me a space and I’ll fill it with art.” For the second time in the organization’s two-year existence, Stableford will have space to fill when EAI launches a pop-up gallery, Gallery 57, at 11899 Grand Commons Ave. in Fairfax Corner this Saturday, Sept. 1.
Gallery 57 will fill the vacant space in Fairfax Corner until Dec. 31 and feature the work of Stableford, Aylene Fallah, Richard McMurry and Unju Sim. This new pop-up follows EAI’s initial pop-up in the Mosaic District from February 2017-July 2017, which also included work by McMurry.
The mission of EAI is to provide emerging and under-recognized artists with hard-to-come by gallery space so artists and audience can formally meet. “That’s pretty much the mission, to give a venue to people that need a venue,” says Stableford.
Selected artists must meet at least one of the main criteria that EAI sets for potential residents: having a bachelor or masters of fine arts; having a large body of work that hasn’t been exhibited; or having received some national recognition. To surmise, Stableford boils it down to “you’re unknown, but you’re serious.”
Stableford stresses that Gallery 57 is different from many others because at least one of the featured artists is expected to be at the gallery at all times. They are there to not only promote their work, but also inform visitors about the work of their fellow artists, if necessary.
An opening reception will take place on Saturday, Sept. 1 from 6-8 p.m., and the gallery will be open Wednesday-Sunday from noon-8 p.m. and closed Mondays and Tuesdays, except by appointment. All of the gallery’s artwork is available for purchase. For more information, visit eaiinc.org.
