Christopher Anderson/The Gazette
Studio 4214 director Alonzo Davis is putting the finishing touches on the new work space for artists and other design professionals in Hyattsville.
|
Artist Alonzo Davis once ran a graduate Web design program at the Memphis College of Art, so when he was asked to develop a concept for a former real estate office building, he decided to create a community for a different kind of artist.
"There are a lot of young new artists who are using the Web as the tool, as opposed to canvas or glass or steel," he said. "This is an attempt to reach that community and focus on their creative output."
Davis, a Hyattsville resident, is also a sculptor who makes public art.
Studio 4214 will open in the coming weeks in Hyattsville, joining other artist studios in the Gateway Arts District, but with the specific focus on graphic and Web designers, architects and other artists using technology and computer programs.
The Gateway Arts District includes Mount Rainier, Brentwood, North Brentwood and Hyattsville and was created in 2003 to attract businesses and artists to the Route 1 corridor.
Davis said despite the large number of artist studios in the district, including ones for glass works and painters, there was no concentration of digital artists. Davis teamed up with the building's owner, Linda Cahan, in October to refurbish the building at 4214 Gallatin St.
The building has five studio spaces designed with graphic artists, architects and others in mind. There is a general design area outfitted with three Mac computers, the architect studio is a large open area and the entire building has wireless Internet.
The building also has a general gallery space and each tenant will have space within their individual studios to display work.
Artist Helen Elliot, a Takoma Park resident, said she wanted to move into Studio 4214 in order to incorporate technology into her art. Elliot does enameling and works with steel and copper.
"I think it will be helpful. It will speed up some of the process, although I like the handmade [art], but I think there's room for technologies," she said.
Elliot said she wants to take advantage of computer programs which can speed up the process of designing more elaborate art pieces. She said being in a building with graphic and web artists can influence her work.
"I think each one feeds off the other and sometimes visual artists get left behind because they don't feel the pace of technology," she said. "It kind of catches up with you."
E-mail Elahe Izadi at eizadi@gazette.net.
