By Isis Rose
Local art gallery owner, Stan McCollum, demonstrates that it is never too late to do what you love. “I don’t have a background in art, actually nothing of the sort. I just know that I love it,” said McCollum who opened his gallery less than a year ago.
The gallery is housed in a loft with high ceilings and museum-white walls adorned with the abstract paintings by Paul Light, Jr. who is a recent SCAD graduate. McCollum lives in the upstairs loft space. It was the loft space that made it possible for him to afford to keep his full-time job and open a gallery, “I fell into a position where I’m able to work from home. So, I thought why not work from home to fund the gallery?”
Stan McCollum Gallery has been active since December 2012 and has housed three exhibitions. When asked how he recruits artists for exhibitions, McCollum explained, “So far I’ve been lucky. For example, I was shopping at a modern furniture store, met an artist, went to his studio, liked his work and then had my first show.” He also submitted a call for artists in The Connector’s classified section to recruit SCAD student artists. “Other than that, it’s been word of mouth and just being on the scene or in the scene,” said McCollum.
McCollum said the gallery is “traditional” meaning artists enter a contractual agreement and then exhibit their work for about four to six weeks. “The artists show their work based on the program or my particular roster or aesthetics. What we sell we split down the middle. If nothing sells I give the artist back their work and then start over,” said McCollum. So, just what is McCollum’s particular aesthetic? “In a word: minimalism. I love all things minimal.”
Although this is a new venture for McCollum, he remains optimistic, saying, “Artists really want a place to show their work. We just like to share. Everyone wants to share their love for the arts in one way or the other. Thank God, because I need artists.”
At the gallery, getting artists to exhibit their work is half the battle. The other half is having a public that is interested in viewing the work. “In Atlanta, I don’t see that the public is so interested in art. Having a gallery, in a day I would have one or two visitors. But during openings I’ll have lots of visitors. I’d like to see more day-to-day activity in arts in Atlanta,” said McCollum. Spending much of his time in the art districts in Chelsea, New York City, McCollum compared this experience to the Atlanta art scene saying, “They are night and day but Atlanta is growing.”
McCollum expressed that he would someday like to have a formal arts education. He said he admires SCAD students for pursuing their dreams, “It’s apparent to me that all of you guys [SCAD students] are living your dreams now. We live in a society now where you can create and continue to create the things that you want.” He concluded, “For me, the dream and the career didn’t mix. To mix those two you guys got it. You’re done. I should be asking you questions.”