New Edward Gallery celebrates fifth anniversary with group exhibition

By Troy Hasselman, December 11 2019 —

The New Edward Gallery will be celebrating its fifth anniversary with an exhibition that brings together numerous local artists in a group exhibition that will run from Dec. 19–21.

The New Edward Gallery was founded by local artist Edward Nyikes in Dec. 2014 and has continued to operate since as a pop-up gallery, with numerous group and individual exhibitions being showcased in the space during that time.

“We’re open three days a week once a month, year-round,” Nyikes says. “Except for January, which is a tough month, so we remained closed. For those three days our hours are 7-10 p.m. on Thursday night, Fridays are 7-10 as well and Saturdays are 2-6 p.m. Those are the standard hours we keep for all exhibitions. It’s an ongoing venture in trying to learn how to run a small business and support fellow artists and trying to make a buck in the meantime.”

The fifth year anniversary exhibition will be a salon-style exhibition, meant to bring together people during the Christmas season and give a platform for local artists.

“Twenty-four local artists will take part,” Nyikes says. “It’s a loaded bill in a small venue. The artists bring in a piece or two each, it’s going to be a very crowded, salon-style exhibition. Which is kind of nice for December and people that are looking for more than a few random items.”

Some notable artists that participating in the event include Doug Swinton, Perry Adamiuk, Brian Batista, Walter E. Neumann and Doug Williamson.

“Doug Swinton has been a good supporter of mine since we opened.” Nyikes says. “Perry Adamiuk, who’s my art framer and drawing person, he’s done my framing since 2006 and is also an artist. It’s great to bring those double-pros on board. Brian Batista, who runs the Atelier Batista at C-Space, he runs a small school up there. Walter E. Neumann, the alias for Jared Sych who is a photographer for Avenue Magazine and a few other publications in the city, he’s always on the bill for these ones. It’s nice. Doug Williamson is a local artist and installer who does a lot of lessons and teaching around the city. A lot of people know about him as well.”

The New Edward Gallery has grown in the last five years, with its platform changing from its original focus on group exhibitions to solo exhibitions.

“The last five years have been really incredible,” Nyikes says. “The platform has changed from the original concept. I was doing all group exhibitions, it felt like kind of a hodge-podge. I wasn’t able to feel like I was representing anybody in a fuller context so people could see more of a commitment to their studio practice and what they actually make. We switched the platform to solo exhibitions and just do the group exhibitions at Christmas. There’s definitely been hurdles and learning curves.”

In the coming years, Nyikes hopes to get a larger space for the New Edward Gallery and grow the name for the gallery and to get more people to come through the doors.

“Looking to the future, I’d like get a larger spot to pick it up a little bit, “ Nyikes says. “It’s also a financial thing. It’s all out of pocket. I don’t have any sponsors or donations or funding or grants or any stuff like that. It’s strictly my own project, at times it’s more difficult than others. At times you feel more successful than others. I think I’m on the right track finally, it’s about putting the time in and connecting with people, we do a lot of advertising through Instagram and Facebook web pages. I think the word of mouth is the best advertising we can do, it’s nice when people go out and tell their friends. In my own district, In crescent Heights, there’s a lot of people who live a few blocks away that don’t know we exist. In a way that’s cool but obviously I want to get people in the door.”
The New Edward Gallery is located at 352 8 Ave N.E. More information about the upcoming event can be found through the New Edward Gallery Facebook page.