Fundraising foots SPACE gallery expansion
The alternative arts venue on Congress Street, SPACE Gallery, is expanding into the space next door following a successful fundraising campaign.
Nat May, the executive director of SPACE, says the expansion will give his organization more flexibility to schedule art exhibits, musicians, dancers, speakers and films. The additional 1,500-square-foot gallery, which had been occupied by Mainely Frames, will offer "a more intimate, quieter experience," May says, appropriate for experimental music and dance performances, artists' talks, workshops or visual installations. The gallery will also double the amount of wall space for art.
At the moment, May says he and his staff juggle a somewhat hectic schedule, in which complex art shows that take days to set up might overlap with film screenings and other performances at the main facility at 538 Congress St. "Our biggest challenge has been finding ways for our exhibitions and events to co-exist," May writes in a press release, adding in an interview with Mainebiz, "This will allow us to do more projects that take time."
Last year, SPACE hosted 240 events and 10 art shows, and the addition, which will be ready this summer, could allow for a small increase in the number of events and shows. "We might do more events than before, but it is more about spreading them out," May explains.
SPACE raised about $100,000, primarily from individual donors, to renovate the gallery and invest in equipment, an outpouring May says was a validating experience. The organization's operating budget is around $450,000, and will likely have to grow by 15% to 20% to accommodate the expansion, May says.
"Having the new space will allow us to do the good work people expect of us," and possibly help attract more financial backers, he adds. SPACE is largely backed by the Quimby Family Foundation, Maine Community Foundation, Maine Arts Commission and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
SPACE's budget has doubled since 2005. The eight-year-old nonprofit currently employs two full-time employees, including May, as well as two part-time workers and 10 additional staff who help with events. As SPACE grows, May anticipates contracting more freelance art curators and turning one of the part-time positions into a full-time job.
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