Cosmic Yeti, Megan Whitmarsh via motelgallery.com
Today, Jennifer Armbrust marks the fourth anniversary of her gallery, Motel (19 Northwest 5th Avenue, Suite C). On NW Couch between 5th & 6th, Motel has been one of that neighborhood’s pioneers as an arts destination along with neighbor Katsu Tanaka and his Just Be/Compound across the street. They’ve seen the coming of the Portland Art Center, Organism’s temporary space, Upper Playground’s art shows, and more. And soon the Winkler project a few blocks west, housing four galleries and the Museum of Contemporary Craft, will bridge the gap between their contemporary art outpost status and the galleries of the Pearl.
Meanwhile, Armbrust has made change in Motel as well. Intially one-part gallery and one-part little shop with a carefully curated selection of handmade goods, Armbrust transitioned to gallery-only and began representing a handful of emerging artists, many illustration-based in a Dzama-like fashion. With a keen eye and smart business sense, she has taken chances on next-gen artists and taken Motel to art fairs like Aqua in Miami, developing relationships with non-PDX collectors to the point that most of the work she sells will not hang in Portland. Along the way, Armbrust co-founded PORT, Portland’s top-notch visual art criticism weblog, and Forty Under Forty, a networking group for young creative entrepreneurs. Whew.
In honor of the anniversary, check out the new Motel website.
WHAT TO DO NOW?