ArtExposure: 5,000-square-feet of concept

"Construction began in September, but this has been a dream of mine for ten years."

Those were the words of ArtExposure founder Ellen Elder when asked about the newly raised red building on Hwy 17 that so many people have been talking about.

The ArtExposure building is what she calls "a concept within a 5,000 square foot building." While construction workers rush to complete the building in time for the grand opening in May, Elder is planning for that day and beyond.  

"My inspiration came from the Artspace organization, which is in Raleigh. My primary goal is to have a space for professional artists to be able to come in and have studio space. They don't have to lease a studio space, but if they want to enter the Artists Association, they have to be juried in. Once they're in the association, they can lease space if they want, and they can sublet space. They are eligible for having gallery shows here and they can teach classes. They just get a lot of benefits by being a member," said Elder.

While Elder is an artist herself, she will also have to handle all of the duties that come with being a business owner. While creating a place where artists and art lovers to interact, she is also making sure all the expenses are covered.

"We're renting out eight-by-eight spaces for artists. Some rooms are connected with shared sinks, and some are self-contained. I have one lady that wants to rent out a shared space, because she can't be here as much as she'd like. And one of my requirements is that the artists spend around 25 hours per week here in their studio doing their work so they can educate the public - that's the goal. Some people find that hard to do, so they share a space, so they can share the time," said Elder.

"We want to start an artists cooperative, and we're trying to get some of the Surf City Art Guild Members to start that... that's what that is: a group of people that get together and agree to sit in the studio a certain number of days per month, and share expenses. That will be a separate entity. They'll kind of govern themselves."

Being an artist was advantageous for Elder when planning the building. She thinks she has thought of most things that will be needed to make a great art center.

"We're going to have a classroom and a workshop area in the back. We're going to have kilns. We're also going to offer a lot of different types of classes. And we're going to have an art supply store in the back of the building, and hopefully have all of the materials in-house for the people taking classes. We'll also have a full kitchen for events," said Elder, who elaborated further about the five main things she wants ArtExposure to provide.

"Classes, artist co-op, art supply, artist association, and the last part of it is to bring revenue in, I'm renting out the space for events. I already have two or three people interested in renting it out for a wedding reception. That brings revenue in so we can keep the leases less expensive for the artists, because that's my primary goal is to make it a place for them to be able to work, market their art and be able to show it. They won't pay me any commission; they just pay the lease. They keep all of what they sell, unlike some galleries which keep as much as 50 percent of what they make," said Elder.

The grand opening of the ArtExposure building (22527 Hwy 17 Hampstead) is Saturday, May 2 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be free admission to see the arts and crafts vendors. Pete from Lighthouse Beer and Wine will be providing a wine tasting, and Montoro's Restaurant will be serving appetizers. There are tentative plasn for music, but no musical artists have been scheduled yet. For more information, Ellen Elder can be contacted via e-mail at surfcityartists@charter.net.