Gallery Profile: The White Page

“We didn't know this is what we were getting ourselves into when we started. We started looking for a studio space and then found a storefront space on 42nd Street near Hiawatha. It was more aligned to be a gallery and we thought, 'Well, if we're going to have a gallery, we should have a residency program; if we have a residency program, then we need a bigger space,’ and we moved in here." 

 

The space is 3400 Cedar Ave, aka The White Page, a collectively-run artist space founded by artists Kathryn Sheldon, Alanah Luger-Guillaume, Alexis L. Stiteler, and Rebecca Spangenthal. This Saturday, The White Page celebrates three years of art programming by hosting an anniversary party which will include a silent auction featuring artwork from past and upcoming TWP artists, an array of prizes donated by local businesses, DJs, dancing, and more. 

Recently I sat down with the founding members as they collectively recounted the history of The White Page’s inception and broke down the strategy behind their unique residency and arts programming. 

 

Transplanting Cityscapes, installation by Carolina Borja

 

Part studio space, part residency program, part gallery, The White Page is an openly feminist, welcoming DIY space comprised of eleven practicing artists (including TWP founders), who divvy the cost of rent and communally shared studio space, a wood shop, and a fully-functioning darkroom. When the space isn’t being utilized as a gallery, it plays host to music events, workshops, literature and poetry readings, rental one-nighters, performance art pieces, and events that can take place either coexisting within an exhibition or in direct response to it. 

 

Imagining the space, Kate, Alanah, Alexis, and Rebecca - all Minneapolis transplants - were simply looking for a studio space to create their own art, but in discovering the city and falling in love with its art community, they realized their chosen locale could double as a space to highlight local artists. They hoped to create a place for emerging artists to show their artwork (possibly for the first time), establish a network, and springboard their art opportunities. 

 

“We didn’t have a model that we formatted ourselves after. We've definitely found other spaces on a national scale that are doing things similar to us, but when we first started we had no idea. We just thought, ‘Let’s get people [from back home] to come here because there is potential for this art community to grow.’

 

“We were all separately applying to residencies and hitting walls repeatedly because we don't have our MFAs and we had never had our own solo shows before. There was a certain point where we realized The White Page could have a public component and provide that in-between space for people. Once we thought about other people who we went to school with or knew that could benefit from having an opportunity like this, it just kind of snowballed from there.” 

 

Grave’s Bait Stick Snare, installation by Jacob Raeder and Namaa Hadany

 

TWP now finds themselves a part of a small network of local DIY art spaces whose focus is on assisting emerging artists by providing them the opportunity to produce and exhibit their work while working within a community environment. Their active residency program hosts six MPLS-based, national, and international applicants per year, each residency culminating in a month-long exhibition. The residents are exposed to the practices of the eleven other active studio members, building a communal terrain that fosters constructive dialogue and a fully-realized arts immersion during a stage which, for most residents, is at the beginning of their careers.

 

“The space itself has more of a life, a vibrancy. Our residents often tell us how nice it is to have the traffic of artists coming and going. There are lots of opportunities for opinions and feedback, more resources, more people to draw on who have connections in the city that we don't.” 

 

These connections attract more attendees and a more diversified crowd to each exhibit, harnessing a creative interaction that both artists and viewers can build upon. 

 

“We definitely immediately missed the college energy of having people working all around you. It was a conscious decision to build that space around us again for ourselves. You just can't do it alone in a bubble without anyone's feedback ever.”

 

Heliotuduc, installation by Isa Newby Gagarin

 

When it comes to residencies, TWP’s definition is - by their own admission - pretty loose. They predominantly try to accept applicants who need the studio space to work in, but it’s not their sole deciding factor. Visiting residents tend to use the studio more heavily, whereas artists residing in the Twin Cities may have other studios, relying on the space as strictly a place to premiere their final collection. In that aspect, the structure of the program changes from residency to residency. 

 

A step away from institutionalized art galleries, TWP encourages resident artists to utilize all facets of the gallery - floor to ceiling - for an immersive experience that reimagines the space. 

 

“We're often more excited about exhibits that take up the whole space because it's risky. Our goal isn't to make money so it takes that pressure off the artist and allows the freedom for riskier elements of expression and imagination. It's kind of an experiment. We are a tool to help artists realize whatever vision they see and bringing forth that image to get them to the next step.” 

 

That immersive quality and potential for exposure is what drives the residency-produced exhibitions. By not asking their artists to make a product that they can sell, the artists have the opportunity to be their most experimental, providing the confidence for future shows. 

 

They cite Baltimore artist-run spaces like First Continent, Springsteen Gallery, and BB as examples of galleries who achieve successful exhibitions by allowing their artists to dive into uncharted creative territory. In these spaces, every external design decision made by the gallery owners (from aberrant lighting choices to experimental gallery layout) meets the artist halfway to craft a space which has the potential to be an engaging, immersive and visceral experience from the minute you walk through the doors. It's not simply about decorating the walls. For emerging artists, the ability to have full range of the gallery in its rawest form and experiment at will is truly rare and monumental. 

 

“It boils down to an element of trust. We've entrusted them with the entire space - that’s very important to whatever next step you're trying to get to. Showing that you've done it before, that you can do it successfully and that you've documented it well, all of that - even if it doesn't help you financially in that moment - it helps with applying for grants and with future opportunities.”

 

While TWP’s mission of establishing a platform for emerging artists is crystal clear, their formatting hasn’t always been. And that’s okay - they’ve rolled with the changes and will continue to adapt as necessary. Perhaps it’s this acceptance of an organic evolution which has allowed them a radical, boundaryless edge and three years of success alongside their peers in more traditional non-profit and commercial galleries. 

 

 

-- Juleana Enright

TWP’s 3yr Anniversary Party is Saturday, September 24th, 7pm-midnight. It will be a night of food, drink, raffles, music, dancing, and more. Entry is FREE and all are welcome. For more info, visit our event listing or the facebook event.