If you've ever been to a show at Gallery 1906, you know the drill. Approximately two dozen artists on two floors, each with the equivalent of a studio apartment (or larger) devoted to his or her work. Exhibits feel like a huge open house, with small parties going on inside each studio as throngs of people roam the hallways and the landings. Sometimes a band plays, drinks are often free, and depending on what time of year it is, you may find yourself getting seriously sweaty inside the former cigar factory, which lacks air conditioning.
The exhibits may have a casual feel, but the artists who work at 1906 have spent years developing the buzz that now attracts 1,000 people to a typical show. What started as a two-man effort featuring longtime residents Guillermo Portieles and Alex Rodriguez turned into an all-artists party organized by photographer Lori Ballard and others. Throughout it all, the building's owners, the Ellis and VanPelt families, who run businesses on the first floor, gave the artists free rein.
All that is about to change, but hopefully for the better. Earlier this year, one of the owners approached Maida Millan, a photographer who has worked in the building for seven years, about turning 1906 into something a bit more official — like a neighborhood arts center. Millan threw out a few ideas — serving West Tampa's at-risk youth, hosting more exhibits each year, providing a marketing service for resident artists who offer private classes — and the families said yes, hiring her to serve as executive director.
The transition has some of the resident artists concerned that their days in the building may be numbered, but Millan says keeping the best parts of Gallery 1906 (i.e., its resident artists) while adding new features is the goal. (The Center is still awaiting its official 501(c)(3) nonprofit tax status.) On Sept. 28, the newly re-christened West Tampa Center for the Arts will hold its gala opening with the exhibit Nueva Evolucion. HCC professor Tracy Midulla Reller will serve as juror of the show, open to artists inside the building and beyond. VSA Arts of Florida has partnered with the Center to create a special exhibit-within-the-exhibit for disabled adult artists. And artists with studios in the building will carry on the 1906 tradition of opening their doors to the public.
