Friday, March 21, 2025

Friends and colleagues,

The creation of the new Gateway Arts is moving ahead on schedule.  I hope the accompanying photographs convey a hint of the potential for our new home.

We expect to begin work in our new space at 15 Station Street, Brookline during the first week of July.  And we plan no interruption of service for our artists.

Riverside Properties has been building out 3,200 square feet comprising our new store, gallery, painting & drawing studio, and Community Studio on the first floor; and 6,000 square feet on the fourth floor studio spaces for folk art, weaving, fabric, works on paper, ceramics, painting and drawing.  The Town of Brookline has given preliminary approval of this work; we will request a certificate of occupancy when it’s finished.

In the meantime the Gateway Arts staff, with help from our Vinfen colleagues and members of our Advisory Committee, work to design and furnish the spaces to ensure they meet the needs of the artists and those who support and work alongside them.  We continue to discuss the move with the artists, and to visit the space to acclimate ourselves to it when we can.

We’re developing plans for accessibility, safety, arrival/departure, and signage.  We’re talking to nearby artists and arts organizations to plan community experiences for Gateway artists.  Finally, we are engaged in financial planning to ensure our revenue and expenses align and we have the resources we need to meet our mission.

We have created this page on our website for updates and will continue to update you via email through June.  And look out for an invitation to a Zoom meeting in which my colleagues and I will answer questions about the move and what it means for the artists and their families and support networks.

In the meantime please call or email me or any of our staff with questions, suggestions, concerns, etc.

Sincerely,

Gregory P. Liakos

Director, Vinfen’s Gateway Arts

Banner image: Patrick Shea. Station Street Gateway Arts. 2024. Pencil and colored pencil on paper. 12 x 18 in.