Pumping out the art

The Artery, a new student-run gallery, hopes to be the lifeblood for student artists in the area.

“It’s a student-run gallery started by students for students,” said Hallie Ringle, president of the art and art history honors fraternity Kappa Pi and gallery co-founder.

The gallery, in the Bank of America Center on Franklin Street, came about much quicker than the organizers expected.

Inspired by director of undergraduate art studies Jeff Whetstone, who told the group about a student-art gallery in 2003, organizers began to approach properties on Franklin Street the first Thursday of October.

Natalia Davila, vice president of Kappa Pi and co-founder of the gallery, said they sent a letter to buildings that had vacancy signs.

“By that following Tuesday, we had a meeting with the manager of the Bank of America Center, and he was like, ‘Yeah, use my space,’ so we got it in five days,” Davila said.

Though the 2003 gallery only lasted a few months, organizers of The Artery have plans for the free space to become a staple in the Chapel Hill art community.

“We’ve been selling it as a long-term project, not just to last a few months, so I think everyone is expecting that of it and everyone will work for that,” Davila said.

The gallery provides a portion of all sales to the artists and accepts art of all media types.

“The profits go 60 percent to the artists and 40 percent to Kappa Pi,” Ringle said, adding that a portion of the Kappa Pi profits go to the building owner as a thank you.

The works available are priced relatively less than gallery norms. Ringle said many student are pricing their work at $25 to $30, which their peers can afford to buy.

Organizers hope students interested in art history and curating will also participate.

Davila said it’s a good opportunity for students to get involved in the art, even if they are not artists.

“And it’s not an intimidating setting because it is run only by students,” she said.

Davila said she has already seen excitement for the gallery.

“Whenever I tell people who are completely not part of the art community here about the gallery, they get really excited,” she said.

“They want to come see the art and see what students are doing. I think it is really exciting for other students to see what their peers are doing.”



Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.