Fountain Street Gallery Finds a New Home

Fountain Street Gallery Finds a New Home

Six years ago, I had a chance meeting with Cheryl Clinton at the International Encaustic Conference in Provincetown, MA. She told me about a gallery she was starting with a fellow artist. A few weeks later over lunch, I handed her a check for an artist friend membership in the gallery, sight unseen.

Opening of New England Wax’s Juried exhibition Breaking Boundaries at Fountain Street Fine Art in 2014.

 

I have never regretted that decision. Both Cheryl and Marie Craig are professional, driven gallery owners. Until recently, they co-directed the gallery at Fountain Street Fine Art in the Bancroft Building in Framingham, Massachusetts, which has operated as a hybrid cooperative/juried gallery.  

The list of exceptional core artist members includes Sarah Alexander,  Sorin Bica, Linda Destefano Brown, Brenda Cirioni, Cherie Clinton,  Marie Craig,  Mia Cross, Denise Driscoll, Susan Emmerson, Sara Fine-Wilson, Tatiana Flis, Kay Hartung, Anita Loomis, Vicki McKenna, Joel Moskowitz, Iris Osterman, Cory Shea, Rebecca Skinner, Tracy Spadafora, Mary Spencer, Marcia Wise, Leslie Zelamsky.
 

Fountain Street Assistant Director Tatiana Flis with her work in the gallery’s first Boston exhibition Scarcely Awake.

As they approach their 6th anniversary, Cheryl has bowed out as a co-director and Tatiana Flis, a core artist member, has stepped in as assistant director. 

 
While the gallery has seen great success and hosted phenomenal juried exhibitions, the 4-story factory building filled with artist studios, is not conducive to foot traffic.   And while I knew that they were considering finding a new home for the gallery, something quite remarkable happened.
 
On April 6, Framingham town officials made the decision to close the Bancroft building to the public due to safety concerns. While artists tenants may still work in their studios, the general public is not permitted to enter the building. This decision came on the opening day of a two person show for Kay Hartung and Denise Driscoll, who had spent the prior week hanging their show- a culmination of over 2 years of work.
 
The closure left the gallery no choice to cancel the opening and close the gallery. As any artist who has worked for years towards the opening of their exhibition, this was a crushing blow for the artists. 
 

Fountain Street Gallery in SOWA, Boston’s art district.

And, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Marie, Cheryl and Tatiana went to work and quickly secured a new space in the heart of SOWA, Boston’s central artist district, and in less than a month, opened for First Friday on May 5th with a new show, Scarcely Awake, gracing the walls. 
 
Marie Craig said, “The experience of moving to SoWa has been fabulous! Cherie, Tatiana and I are incredibly grateful and energized by the wonderful, talented community of core artists that are part of the gallery. Our team really rallied around us and facilitated the move in so many ways.” 
 

Fountain Street’s new space in Boston at 460c Harrison Street, Suite 2.

I went to visit and got a tour from Tatiana, who, along with Sara Alexander, share the gallery for the show. While space is slightly smaller, the location is fantastic and member artists are thrilled with the move.

 
 
Marie said, “Other gallerists, fellow artists, and gallery patrons have all been so welcoming.  In just a few weeks, we have already seen a big increase in visitor traffic, and in the quality of conversations, we regularly have with them about the work on exhibit and about the vibrant arts scene in SoWa Boston.  I’m already convinced it was the right move at the right time!”   Visit their website for more information and upcoming exhibitions.