By Jocelyn Maggard | SDUN Reporter
On the outside, the Space 4 Art building, at 325 15th St., looks likes any other industrial warehouse in the East Village, with a little bit more of an artistic flair. Inside the building, with cement floors and plain white and wood paneled walls, more than 30 local artists create contemporary works of art.
The spacious building, smelling of art supplies and suffused with natural light, gives San Diego artists a place to work and live, offering five on-site studio apartments. Cheryl Nickel, one of the three founders of Space 4 Art says many artists cannot afford to live in the downtown area, which sometimes forces them to leave San Diego.
Rent includes utilities and the use of shared facilities. The resident artists also volunteer eight hours of service every week to offset rent.
Nickel said San Diego needs a place for young, innovative artists to work.
On Sept. 3, Space 4 Art held the opening of their show “Space 4 Art: Cubed.” “This was an opening where we had the opportunity to do something on a grander scale,” said Nickel. It involved two exhibits, onstage performances, and the artists’ studios were open to the public.
“Cubed” opened during the weekend of Art San Diego, a four-day contemporary art fair that takes place throughout the city and kicked off September, which is Art Month San Diego.
One of the exhibits on view at “Cubed,” “Emanations: Paintings and Works on Paper” will remain on display in the studio’s gallery through Oct. 15.
“Emanations” is a body of work by Marie Thibeault, a Los Angeles artist, which is based on urban dissolution caused by disasters such as Hurricane Katrina.
Thibeault’s work is done in layers. Photograph images are transferred in ink to a sheer paper similar to tracing paper. She then sketches on top of and around the image. Guests can view her early sketches in an adjacent gallery.
The finished products are gaze arresting abstract paintings with bright colors. Resident painter Tanya Young, who was responsible for bringing Thibeault’s work to the gallery, says Thibeault is an excellent colorist who teaches courses on color theory.
Nickel says the way to expand San Diego’s art scene further is to expose people to art and get them interested. The studio attracted some obvious interest, as 1,200 people were present at the showing of “Cubed.”
The artists at Space 4 Art are producing other work than the kind that can go up on the wall, said Nickel. She referred to the space as a hub or an arts incubator for emerging artists, allowing them the chance to explore other types of media such as video and performance art.
With so many different artists working there, Nickel said, “there are a variety of artists here with commercial, representational, abstract and conceptual interests.” She added much of the art focuses on broad philosophical ideas.
Space 4 Art also offers art classes at the studio to students of all ages and skill levels.
For more information about Space 4 Art or to learn about upcoming events, visit www.sdspace4art.org.
