Young Artists Fulfill Their Dream with the Visual Arts Collective
October 5, 2005
by Susan Whaley, The Idaho Statesman
There are two types of people: those who talk about their deepest wishes and those who fulfill them. Put the owners of the new Visual Arts Collective squarely in the second camp.
Sam Stimpert, Anneliessa Balk Stimpert, Christophe Guigon and Corrin Olson opened the doors to their new art gallery on Sept. 9 in a redevelopment project called the Linen District, a six-block area on the western outskirts of downtown.
“We’re artists trying to live our dream,” Anneliessa Stimpert explained.
“And we want to share our appreciation for progressive art,” Guigon added.
The gallery idea was hatched last spring when the four friends, who range in age from 27 to 37, started talking at an art show about how much they would like to have their own space in which to work and show innovative art.
They found the 5,000-square-foot space in July and worked at breakneck speed for more than a month to convert it to a gallery. The result is a contemporary, wide-open room with exposed insulation and ductwork in the 18-foot ceiling, exposed brick, white walls and a concrete floor that still shows signs of its former use as an auto parts storage area.
Cool benches were made from the old store room’s wood shelves. The bathrooms feature recycled school doors, brightly painted walls and artistic uses of plastic and metal. Office space in the back allows the owners to operate their individual design businesses.
Natural light floods the gallery from a front wall of windows, creating a warm and inviting space.
Progressive art is the focus and flexibility is the mission.
“What this has become is more of a chance to influence what’s going on in Boise,” Guigon said.
The four owners will choose gallery exhibits by consensus. The opening show features contemporary metal sculptures by Francis Fox, their former teacher at Boise State University. Gallery owners Sam Stimpert and Corrin Olson have pieces in the show, along with Flint Weisser and Angela Katona-Bachelor.
The Visual Arts Collective is the second business to open in the Linen District. The owners are delighted to be part of an emerging, funky area because it reflects their interest in pushing Boise in new directions.
“We want to be creative and make art and share it with the community,” Anneliessa Stimpert said.
The gallery will participate in downtown Boise’s First Thursday gallery stroll.
