Tollbooth Gallery facts for kids
The Tollbooth Gallery was a special art space that opened in 2003 in Tacoma, Washington. It was part of ArtRod, a group that helps artists and art projects. The gallery was unique because it showed contemporary art (art made in our time) all day, every day. Its goal was to display exciting installation art and video art in an outdoor city spot. Jared Pappas-Kelley and Michael Lent created and managed the Tollbooth Gallery.
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What Made the Tollbooth Gallery Special?
For each exhibition, an artist or a team of artists was asked to create a project for the gallery. They had to use the freestanding concrete structure in a creative way. Art critic Regina Hackett said the gallery offered "mind-expanding art packed into cramped quarters." She also noted that "what it lacks in space, it achieves in time," meaning it was small but always available to see.
The Tollbooth Gallery planned eight new exhibitions each year. These shows focused on different ways to use the space and connect with people. They often featured video art, time-based art, photography, printmaking, and installation art. The gallery wanted to bring video and other art out of traditional places like museums. This challenged both artists and viewers to think about art in new ways.
How Artists Used the Space
Fionn Meade, an artist and curator who worked with the gallery, said the Tollbooth was a "challenging space to work with but in a good way." He explained that having a small space made artists be more creative and clear with their ideas. This approach allowed the Tollbooth Gallery to show "edgier" art. Because the art was only there for a short time, it encouraged more experimentation. The journal Public Art Review mentioned that the project was great because its temporary shows allowed for new ideas and were set up quickly.
Tollbooth Gallery's Impact
Over the years, the Tollbooth Gallery gained recognition. The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles included it in their teaching programs. It was also featured in a discussion called "Conduit to Contemporary Art" at the Americans for the Arts National Conference. Another event, "Make Your Own: Art in and out of Cologne," at the Henry Art Gallery also showcased the gallery. A book about the first year of exhibitions at Tollbooth Gallery was later published as Toby Room 10.
The Tollbooth Gallery was one of four main projects by the ArtRod organization. The other projects included Critical Line, which was another exhibition center. There was also the publication Toby Room, and a film and video series called Don’t Bite the Pavement.
Artists Who Exhibited at Tollbooth
Many talented artists showed their work at the Tollbooth Gallery. Here are some of them:
- Wynne Greenwood (Tracy and the Plastics)
- Jared Pappas-Kelley
- Michael Lent
- Bill Daniel
- David Lester
- Fionn Meade
- Bridget Irish
- Denise Smith (Baggett)
- Rankin Renwick
- Josh MacPhee
- Justseed's Celebrate People's History Project
- Tim Sullivan
- Patrick Rock
- Alex Schweder
- Lauren Steinhardt
- The Danish art collective Femmes Regionales
- Kevin Haas
- Ido Fluk
