The House that Art Built: New London's ARThouse

A couple of blocks off Main Street, an eager crowd waits in front of a
turn-of-the-century farmhouse. As the clock approaches the top of the
hour more visitors steadily appear, gathering near the door of the
residence. Soon the door is opened and the crowd enters, warmly greeted
by their hosts. Within the space the visitors discover videos,
paintings of television characters, floating lights, and colorful
sculptures throughout the rooms, spilling onto the front lawn and
hovering above the house. Throughout the coming hours, more guests
arrive to view the work, meet the artists, and converse with their
neighbors by the warm campfire.

New London, Minnesota is a small
town two hours west of the Twin Cities, known more for its ski team and
lake resorts than its contemporary art scene. Andrew Nordin and Lisa
Bergh first conceived of ARThouse shortly after relocating to New
London in the fall of 2005. A few evenings each year, Andrew and Lisa
convert the first floor of their home and front yard into an exhibition
venue. Both are working studio artists with extensive gallery and
museum experience, and they were anxious to realize their dreams of
starting an exhibition space of their own. After ruling out more
traditional gallery formats due to cost or other practical concerns,
the couple decided to begin by using their own home. ARThouse is the
result: an ephemeral art gallery, a temporary exhibition space offering
one-night art events.

Phantom galleries are gaining popularity
with many artists and curators looking for alternative venues and
exhibition formats (e.g. Will Work for Food, Placement Gallery, The
Occasional Art Gallery). With the financial and institutional
structures of traditional galleries and museums removed, phantom spaces
like ARThouse have the freedom to foster an environment of
experimentation, performance, and inclusiveness.

ARThouse openings
are events both eagerly anticipated and stumbled upon. Neighbors may
notice the spectacle of a lighted chandelier floating above the
treetops or a white glowing snowmobile on the front lawn, and then find
themselves stopping by, unconsciously drawn towards the activity for a
closer inspection. However, many of the visitors are active members of
a statewide art community, traveling from the Twin Cites, St. Cloud,
and beyond to search for interesting work, regardless of its location.
Perhaps because of this diverse audience, ARThouse openings percolate
with energy, offering a welcome respite from the stale sameness of the
kind of work on display in many established, more traditional
institutions.

"The idea to do this really germinated from our belief
that viewing artwork, contemplating art, is, and should be, an activity
for people not just in metro areas, but rural areas as well," explained
Andrew. For Andrew and Lisa, the residential phantom format, the
merging of art opening and a neighborhood block party, was a perfect
strategy to introduce contemporary art to their local community.
"ARThouse events are based on the idea of the open house," said Lisa,
"a common social gathering in small towns and rural communities.
However, instead of celebrating a birth, graduation, or anniversary, we
create an art happening. The setting is intended to be laid back,
friendly, and far less formal than a traditional gallery or museum
reception. You can come for the art or just come to visit and catch up
with your neighbor."

Using creative and inexpensive methods,
Andrew and Lisa effectively market the ARThouse events through sites
like Flickr and mnartists.org, free arts calendars, email lists, and
word of mouth. Flickr is particularly effective, allowing ARThouse to
post images of past events and to communicate with a broader network of
similar ephemeral spaces and alternative galleries. However, the most
interesting marketing tool Andrew and Lisa have devised gives something
back to their audience. For each event, the exhibiting artist is asked
to create an edition of fifteen small pieces. The pieces are then given
away as door prizes to the first fifteen people who arrive at the
ARThouse opening. The word is out and at the last opening the door
prizes lasted for only a few minutes.

It’s time for full disclosure
of my personal connection to ARThouse. I grew up in the New London area
and most of my relatives still live there; I also exhibited my work at
ARThouse this past October. Actually, my wife can attest to my anxiety
prior to the event. It felt as if I were back in high school again. My
worries evaporated shortly after the opening began and my experience
demonstrates just what distinguishes an ARThouse show from those of its
larger counterparts. A few local students, neighbors, and a couple of
my brothers lined up at the door near opening time, and all left a
while later clutching a small painting as their door prize. Throughout
the evening, people I knew, people I should have known, and complete
strangers asked intriguing, challenging questions, and studied the
work. It was an intimately engaged environment unlike any exhibition
I’d been part of before.

Later in the evening, I talked to
Minneapolis artist and New London native Jonathan Gomez Whitney, who
confirmed that my homecoming anxiety was not unique. Whitney’s stunning
installation at ARThouse last summer floated a chandelier above the
house, casting wonderful golden rays on the front yard.

This
year’s ARThouse season is an intriguing mix of regional and local
artists; you can see what I’m talking about for yourself. In April,
Chicago artist Ashley E. Towne presented elegant and formal mixed media
works on paper. She will be followed in July by St. Cloud-based
multimedia artist Bill Gorcica. They’ll close out the year with a
collaborative installation by Duluth artists Kristina Estell and David
Bowen in October. Along with this impressive line-up of artists in
2008, Andrew and Lisa hope to build upon the success of the first year,
expanding their offerings to include more educational programs related
to the exhibitions. The response from the community to the ARThouse has
been overwhelmingly positive thus far.

Lisa observes, "Andrew and
I have been pleasantly surprised at the sincere gratitude people extend
to us for bringing such dynamic art and artists to the community. The
most common feedback we receive is ‘Thank you. This is so great for our
community.’ As an artist, I find that response incredibly meaningful.
It tells me that my community appreciates new experiences in the visual
arts and understands the power of art to positively impact communities.
The city of New London is working hard to increase tourism and create
new opportunities for artists, performers and audiences. We are proud
to be part of that process."