This Saturday, Tacocat will arise like a phoenix from the ashes of the recently demolished Junctionview Studios building, ushering in a new era of artist studio space in what is gradually becoming more commonly known as “the Grandview Yard area”. This smaller cooperative will house eleven local artist studios along with a gallery and other shared space, providing a different type of environment for visitors more familiar with the formerly cavernous Junctionview.
We spoke recently with Megan Green and Adam Brouillette — two of the eleven artists who have taken up residence at Tacocat — to find out more about the new space, and what we can expect during Saturday’s grand opening event. Our Q&A with them can be found below:
Walker Evans: First, can you tell us a bit about how your summer has gone at Tacocat? Lots of build-out and settling in I assume?
Megan Green: It really seems like we have been on the go since the beginning of April with the move from Junctionview, the buildout of Tacocat, and now we are getting to see some of the fruits of our labor come to form. I think it’s really nice to see the finished result and have a more finished space to call home.
Adam Brouillette: Despite all the work, it has been really fun getting to work in a more intimate setting, actually creating the workspace we inhabit, eating watermelon on our porch and doing something that ultimately benefits us all. Being tired when you have done something to help you and your friends out is pretty rewarding.
WE: So how does the new space compare to Junctionview?
AB: For one… I can see the daylight. Junctionview was kind of a cave. This place feels less like an apartment building and much more like a family. That has been both good and bad, but I am really enjoying spending time with people working side by side and in close proximity. I think going forward, people will see that this place is smaller, and much more focused than what we could achieve at Junctionview. Especially once we start having shows in an actual gallery.
MG: Intimate is a word that I use when describing Tacocat to others. We created an environment where we all see each other once a month at potlucks, which also serve as our monthly meetings. It has created more of a family structure in the building. The small space almost forces you to interact with each other more, whether it be passing each other in the hall and saying hello, or taking a break on the patio with each other. The comradery can be challenging at times, because we genuinely like the other individuals, but at times you have to go back to your studio and work.
WE: What do you have planned for the grand opening on the 17th?
MG: “Tacocat Exposed” will be the first full look into everyone’s studios. We’ve been just as busy finishing our individual spaces as we have the common areas. Our gallery will allow everyone to hang a few pieces of work that best represent them as an artist. From seeing the work, the guests can go see where the work is created in the artists’ studios. The close quarter connection between the studios and gallery will hopefully show the more intimate relationship between the two. We will also have a gallery guide and greeter for the opening to show people around and to allow us to stay in our studios to talk to guests about what we do.
AB: We’ll have some snacks and stuff too.
WE: Do you plan to continue to host regular events of any type at Tacocat?
AB: Yeah, we are excited that we have a dedicated space to host exhibitions that can stay up longer than a weekend. The plan as of now is to host one-month, two-month, and one-week shows, rotating the lengths of shows where needed. It isn’t just a place to show our work (though our studios will be open often), but we hope to be showing off quality work that we see in the community, and bring artists from out of town to show alongside Columbus artists. I think the idea of bringing art from other places here to show, and conversely working to send Columbus artists to other cities, will help our community grow stronger. What happened at Junctionview with the democratization of exhibitions was great. I think now we want to find ways to challenge people to make high quality work and expand. Perhaps that is what we can offer.
MG: People keep asking if something like Agora will be happening at Tacocat. The short answer is no. But hopefully once people come to the new space and see it, they will understand the difference between the spaces and it will become clear why we have made that choice. Having a smaller space should allow us to focus on quality more frequently rather than quantity once in a while.
WE: Anything else we should know?
AB: Something we have gotten a lot of questions about is available space. This place doesn’t really work like Junctionview, and the tenants are more permanent. We are full and we won’t be maintaining a waiting list. It is designed to be more specific and dedicated space.
The Grand Opening of Tacocat takes place on Saturday, August 17th from 5pm to 9pm at 937 Burrell Avenue in Grandview Heights. For more information, visit www.tacocatcooperative.com.
Photos provided by Tacocat.
