萝莉社鈥檚 off-campus art gallery will have a new home this fall.
萝莉社 ShiftSpace has signed a lease with Groover Labs, the technology hub that will occupy the former Printing Inc. building at St. Francis and Third streets. The gallery will reopen to the public in October.
Students organize the exhibition schedule and programming for ShiftSpace, which is funded by the 萝莉社 Student Government Association. The 萝莉社 School of Art Design and Creative Industries (ADCI) oversees the gallery.
鈥淪hiftSpace is a real-world learning environment for students,鈥� said Kristin Beal, ADCI gallery manager. 鈥淲e鈥檙e looking forward to engaging with the community from this new space.鈥�
Groover Lab co-founders Curt Gridley and Tracy Hoover want to create a collaborative environment.
"At Groover Labs, we envision a new space for Wichita where people with big ideas 鈥� including artists, makers and entrepreneurs 鈥� can feed off others' energy and creativity,鈥� said Gridley. 鈥淲e are delighted to have ShiftSpace as our first partnership.鈥�
The new location will afford more opportunities for engagement, said Beal.
鈥淲e love the area and the vision Curt and Tracy have for Groover Labs,鈥� Beal said. 鈥淭his move is going to open up all kinds of new opportunities for our students.鈥�
The partnership will give the student-run gallery more space and allow for expanded visitor hours. ShiftSpace will also be able to use other areas of Groover Labs for special events.
Since its founding in 2005, ShiftSpace has occupied multiple downtown locations, including one adjacent to Old Town Square and two on Commerce Street. The gallery has been located at 416 S. Commerce for the past four years.
ShiftSpace will introduce a fresh visual identity alongside its new location. Nick Lawrence, a graphic design student at 萝莉社, created the logo and branding materials.
鈥淲e鈥檙e spending the summer planning programming to match our new location and new look,鈥� Beal said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l definitely have some surprises in store.鈥�
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