Barbara Sax knew the day would come when theArts Council’s gallery needed to clear out and move. This was the arrangement, she said.
Sax, president of the Arts Council of Livingston (ACL), had hosted galleries exhibiting 30 to 35 artists at once inside its rent-free space, formerly Destination Maternity, for three years. She was notified on March 24 that a paying tenant would be taking over the lease. In just five days, most of the gallery moved from the 4,000-square-foot room into the second floor of the town’s municipal building, a tentative holding place for the artwork.
“It’s been a real job and a real hurry to get everything out,” Sax said. She was given until March 29 to vacate the space. Several people in town assisted Sax with the move, including Mayor Michael Vieira, township manager Barry Lewis, and members of the Department of Public Works.
With the help of Vieira, Lewis, and Beth Lippman of the township’s Business Improvement District (BID), Sax is now scouting for a new location that is conducive to the ACL’s broader goal of bringing art to the community and offering artwork at all price points. The most ideal space, she said, would include high visibility, a first floor, available parking, low rent or be rent-free, and offer a permanent stay.
The Town Center location marked the gallery’s fifth space since its 2005 inception. Some of the previous spaces it occupied were a former barber shop, yoga studio, and what is now Chocolate Works, also located in Town Center. Sax said that John Azarian, the property owner, offered vacant spaces on a second floor, but the art pieces are too large to fit in an elevator, and have instead been temporarily consigned to people’s garages and the Livingston Senior/ Community Center’s storage area.
“The other issue is that he might let us get in there, and then in a month, we would have to get out because he would have a renter,” Sax said. “He’s been very gracious to let us have the space that we’ve had for three years. And we’re very grateful to him for that.”
As the ACL moved its gallery in and out of buildings over the years, an eventual leave has always been anticipated. On average, the gallery stays for about three or four years until the ACL needs to search for new property.
Current Programs
The size of the former space allowed for more possibilities and programs. Sax said that a month-tomonth occupancy was agreed upon in 2020. The provisional three-year stay brought in roughly 250 artists and a number of shows and performances.
“What they have to do is a business, and we understood that from the beginning,” Sax said. “We’ve had a long run, and we will move on from here.”
The ACL had informed 200 artists that they may send submissions for its next show, “What Goes Around,” starting April 11 – and then, once notified about the gallery, asked artists not to submit.
It also had shows planned into the next year. In the interim, Sax said solo shows and works of smaller groups will be held inside its auxiliary venues, the municipal building and Senior/ Community Center.
“But that is a far cry from what we had done,” she said. “Our whole philosophy about this is we need to stay resilient. We need to be creative and think of solutions.”
Some working components of the ACL will continue despite the shift. Its next meeting will take place in May, and, until then, the group is in the process of planning an outdoor installation called “Livingston: The Seat of Creativity.”
The ACL has received artwork submissions from 30 artists in and around Livingston. These pieces have been photographed and will soon be printed on large pieces of vinyl before being temporarily attached to 32 benches in town.
It will be viewable from the end of May through the beginning of October, and the original pieces will likely be shown in the municipal building throughout August, Sax said. They will be for sale at the show, “Taking It To The Streets.”
“For now, things have to come to a halt, with the exception of our alternate venues, our meetings and our outdoor installation project,” Sax said.
Out, But Not Down
A number of vacancies are available in and surrounding Livingston. Some people have reached out to Sax, suggesting the gallery move into empty buildings in South Orange and East Hanover. The issue, she said, is rent.
She inquired about a building on South Livingston Avenue that recently became vacant. The rent is $9,500.
“The problem is being a 501(c)(3) and being a complete co-op volunteer organization. We cannot afford to pay the rents that these people are asking,” she said. “Going from no rent to $9,500, there’s no way.”
Ideally, the ACL would hold its galleries in Livingston and maintain visibility within the town and community. Many have suggested Riker Hill Art Park, and though the area has a heavy art concentration, it is both isolated and unavailable.
Solutions are unclear, though Sax is hopeful that her collaborations with the BID will expedite the search. Possible locations are not limited to commercial buildings. Sax said a vacant home or residential space volunteered to the ACL would be just as palatable.
“We’re looking, we’re still hopeful, and something’s going to come up. It might not be immediately,” she said. “We’re out, but we’re not down.”
Those interested in contacting the ACL with a proposed space may email Sax at [email protected] and Hugh Mahon at [email protected].
