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Going
underground: (l-r) Tommy Watkins and Chip Fasciana.
Photo by: John Whipple
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Everything’s
Happy Underground
Independently
owned-and -operated art spaces have become increasingly few-and-far-between
in the Capital Region.The recent closing of Changing Spaces
gallery, the continued homelessness of the Miss Mary’s collective,
and the lamentation over the long-gone-but-not-forgotten Loft
serve as constant reminders of the difficult climate facing
local artists. In response to the scene’s shrinking scope
in the public lens, Chip Fasciana and Tommy Watkins have adopted
the do-it-yourself ethos with Underground Artists, a project
to rally together members of the art community and promote
and publicize their cause by staging one-night showings in
non-traditional, non-gallery spaces.
“If
you’re an artist around here and you want to get a show, you’re
going to get a [show at a] coffee shop, if you’re lucky,”
says Fasciana. Venues like the Albany Institute of History
and Art are “not going to show any local artists,” he insists,
expressing the frustration felt by many of the region’s young
creative minds. Watkins seconds that emotion. “A lot of the
local stores in the area, like Justin’s [and] Shades of Green,
they’ll allow you to put some of your artwork in there,” he
says, “but there are more artists than the area can [accommodate].”
The idea for Underground Artists started rather innocently,
and somewhat accidentally. In January, Fasciana staged the
Five Starving Artists Surrounded by Cheesecake show
in a friend’s storefront on lower Hamilton Avenue. “They were
dragging their feet . . . getting the space ready,” he says
of the owners, “so I went in and removed a lot of the wallpaper,
cleaned it up and painted the walls.” A few weeks later, Watkins
held a highly successful one-nighter at ego Menswear on Lark
Street, and Fasciana suggested a collaboration.
When several parties expressed interest in seeing another
such show occur, Watkins and Fasciana decided to take it upon
themselves to commandeer vacant or otherwise unused spaces
and renovate them into “viable rental properties,” in exchange
for their temporary use as art facilities. A phone call to
the Lark Street BID office put them in contact with Hollis
Milark, owner of the former Carosello Bakery building, and
the Underground Artists project was born.
Watkins and Fasciana’s first collaborative show will open
tomorrow (Friday) night at 7 PM in the freshly-renovated space
at 197 Lark St. in Albany. In addition to their own work,
other artists who will be showing include Robert Gullie, Mark
Gregory, Shaina Marron, Kevin Bruce, and several others. With
the exception of noted photo-manipulator Gullie, “all of the
artists are from within a half-mile radius (of the location),”
says Fasciana. The space itself has added a distinct character
to the exhibit; in fact, an entire room in the historic bakery
has been dedicated to an installation displaying items found
in the historic space during the renovation. Area businesses,
including Capital Wine and Spirits and JG’s Pizza, are helping
out with the event by donating food and drink, adding to the
community vibe.
“This
is a way for struggling artists to have an opportunity that
they may have never had before; to possibly sell something,
continue to spread their names, their ideas and ambitions”
says Watkins, explaining the mission of Underground Artists.
“There is a hotbed of creative artists around here,” adds
Fasciana. “[We want to] give them the opportunity to do something
that is real and tangible.” The pair stress their intentions
to move this project forward. Artists interested in participating
in future Underground Artists shows, as well as anyone who
might have a potential space in which to stage such an event,
are asked to contact Tommy Watkins at lowgain@yahoo.com.
—John
Brodeur
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