ALPINE — Cooperative arts spaces Catchlight Art Gallery and Gallery on the Square have combined forces and reopened under a new name, Big Bend Gallery, in a new space following the destruction of the Memorial Day weekend fire on Holland Avenue.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held this past weekend to celebrate the reopening in the historic, 1911-built Lackey-Hord building, located on the corner of Holland and 6th Streets next to the galleries’ old locations.
The Gallery on the Square, and the work of its member artists on display, were completely destroyed in the Holland Avenue fire. Catchlight Art Gallery was previously located directly next to the new Big Bend Gallery, also in the Lackey-Hord building, and did not suffer any damage from the fire.
Jan Moeller, president of the Big Bend Arts Council — which ran Gallery on the Square — and owner of Catchlight, said after the tragic fire it made sense to combine the two long-running entities into one gallery. The newly-reopened Big Bend Gallery features the work of 35 different artists from all over the region.
“Which is a lot of artists to have under one roof,” Moeller said. “But we’ve been able to combine and not make it look crowded.”
“We’ve got a great group of people who govern the gallery,” she added.
The space, which was previously restored, is well-suited for a gallery, with natural lighting, high ceilings and advantageous storefront windows for displaying ceramics, stained glass and paintings propped on easels. Large floating white panels define each artist’s area.
A custom tile threshold proclaiming “Far West Texas” — previously done by gallery director Amanda Calhoun — welcomes visitors as they step in. A sinuous strip of exposed brick, a reminder of the building’s past, adds interest to gallery walls. Five jewelers will populate centrally-located displays.
“Everyone is happy to be open again,” Moeller said. “We brought some newer artists in, all the other artists together, so it’s been really great.”
The Big Bend Arts Council began 20 years ago in 2004. Moeller ran Catchlight out of the adjacent storefront in the Lackey-Hord building for the past 16 years — that space is now vacant and available for rent. Artist-members will continue to help offset payroll costs by manning the gallery, which takes 20% of artists’ sales. A back space previously utilized as offices will hold receptions and rotating exhibitions by Sul Ross art students and coop members.
Moeller said the process of reopening has been “healing for the artists that really lost a lot.” The Gallery on the Square did not have insurance on its contents, meaning artists lost all of their work in the fire, amounting to thousands of dollars.
The arts council received $12,500 from the Historic Alpine fire relief fund, which raised a total of $62,600 for the affected businesses, as well as donations from other local fundraisers. “Ninety-five percent of all the funds in those fundraisers have gone to the artists for their losses,” Moeller said.
The Texas Commission on the Arts also reached out to Moeller in the wake of the fire, inviting Gallery of the Square to apply for a disaster grant — funds awarded that allowed the gallery to buy new displays, a costly necessity.
“They were instrumental in our being able to purchase display items — all of our display items burned in the fire,” Moeller said. “You don’t realize how many thousands of dollars, just tens of thousands, just went up in smoke.”
Several of the businesses destroyed by the fire are now back on their feet, with the help of community support, only a few months after the devastating fire. Judy’s Bread and Breakfast does not plan to reopen as far as Moeller was aware, but Eva’s Salon is back in business, having reopened at 106 W. Sul Ross Ave in the old town square. La Azteca plans to reopen at Javelina’s on Holland and Vintage Antiques and Snazzy Things is seeking a new space.
“So everybody’s not rising from the ashes. We’ve already risen,” Moeller said. “We’re back.”
The Big Bend Gallery, located at 121 West Holland Ave, is open everyday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit bigbendartscouncil.org/