Vastly Different Spaces

    In an earlier post I spoke about visiting Prairie for the opening of "Forms of Authority", and I was just today at the Reed Gallery, located inside The College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP).

 Outside view of The Reed Gallery

   The Dorothy W. and C. Lawson Reed Jr. Gallery hosts exhibitions that focus on the fields of study associated with the College of DAAP, with emphasis on current work in those disciplines brought in from outside the college to enrich the exposure of students to work produced elsewhere. It is a very clean and organized space.

   Like Prairie, the walls are white and kept very neat. However, the floor at this location is a nice polished wood finish. The Reed Gallery seemed more put together, and very formal. It seemed like a small piece of a museum stuck into a school building.

  Currently The Reed Gallery is being set up for the student Dry Run showing, which acts as a dress rehearsal for DAAP Works in June. 

An Image from the student Dry Run showing 

   I did enjoy the more informal atmosphere of Prairie. The floors and small size of the space give it a more casual feel. A narrow flight of stairs leads to the second floor, which is separated into two main areas by a crisp white zigzag wall that stops a couple of feet short of the ceiling. Long windows overlooking the street are unobstructed. Darkroom and photo lab are at the rear.The whole space is very streamlined.

    “It suggests opportunity, openness, the United States,” says David Rosenthal. “I think the arts crack society’s barriers. They voice social issues and break out of convention.”

   I have recently learned that the gallery owner, David Rosenthal, splits his time between the gallery space and his community outreach programs. He works tirelessly on giving art to the masses. He transports what is essentially a portable photo lab with him to different schools in the Cincinnati Area. His gallery space is second to his humanitarian work, and for some strange reason I appreciate the simpleness of Prairie more after knowing those facts. 

"Cake Sprinkles" by Caren Alpert, shown at Prairie Gallery

   "I spend 15% of my time in the gallery. The majority is spent on my work bringing art to students who would have no other way of getting it." - David Rosenthal.