Come February, 16th Street is going to have another sweet spot for local artwork.
The arts district, often noted for its growing mural project that kicked off last year, saw a fresh coat of paint on the corner of 16th Street and Windsor Avenue late last week. Local (and now national and international) mural star El Mac came back into town to lend an anonymous portrait and his signature on what will be the street's newest gallery, Por Vida.
The gallery's owners and curators include local artists Pablo Luna, Thomas "Breeze" Marcus, and Lalo Cota, who have all added their own artistic touches to the neighborhood. They signed a one-year lease a month ago, and have since been busy clearing the place out and gearing up for a busy season.
Cota says the gallery will have monthly First Friday openings with artist receptions held the Thursday night before.
It's a chance to focus on more solo shows (by local and visiting artists) than the three held in their former collaborative space, 5 and 6 Gallery in Scottsdale, says Marcus. It's also a chance to show their work in a neighborhood they all consider close to home.
Cota says the name, Por Vida, was a natural choice; art is what all three do for a living and will do for life (a literal translation). The space, was also a natural fit. It's just a few doors down from the Calle 16 Mural Project's headquarters and neighborhood anchor, Barrio Cafe.
First on the (very tentative) gallery schedule will be a solo show of Luna's work in February. In the meantime, they're going to focus on getting the a/c working and the windows installed.
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