Despite being only a year and a half old, One Eleven Gallery is well beyond the crawling stage. Transformed from an abandoned laundromat into a home for artists by owner Suzanne Watson, the gallery seems more like a family than a business. During a recent art show reception, everyone through the door was greeted as a friend and half came bearing trays of food and drink. According to other patrons, attendance of past openings and anniversaries has exceeded standing room in the gallery, but fortunately everyone was friendly and didn’t mind rubbing elbows. Suzanne Watson’s enthusiasm is infectious as she greets each visitor as if they were friends coming to her home (and it is obvious many are friends…I wonder if she would adopt me?).
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She says Hampton Roads is a melting pot of artistic talent and she is happy to be able to promote any artist in the area. Suzanne hopes her gallery is a spring board for creativity and fun and this philosophy is evident throughout the gallery. Her only regret is she doesn’t have more college students coming through her doors.
There are 6 artists in residence at the One Eleven Gallery as well as 2 spiritual healers. Yes, spiritual healers, which gives an indication of the acceptance and open-mindedness of this little community. Amy McKay is a watercolor artist. Beverly Furman paints in several media, while Angie Coleman and Sheila Robinson paint in oils. Betsy Rivers Kennedy seems to paint a little in every medium and Suzanne Watson even contributes a few pieces. Even thought it was unplanned, all the artists in residence are all women and there is a representative from each decade, which allows for a diverse view of life experiences. The gallery is also frequented by dogs and children to give it that homey atmosphere. The artists are local and have studios in the gallery, where you can see them working or see works in progress. The art seems to run towards the realistic and traditional, but I have seen pieces from several of the artists elsewhere with a fantastical element to them. Both originals and prints are available, depending on the artist’s preference. In addition to acting as a venue for these artists, the gallery also hosts shows, classes, workshops, parties and events.
So what is the inside scoop? The gallery does not have a strong web presence. Be careful not be confused by the link to a similarly named gallery in Georgia. The website for the Norfolk One Eleven Gallery goes to a particular artist’s website, but this is not necessarily surprising. The gallery is actually a collection of studios and it is likely each artist is responsible for their own advertising. From what I understand about the difference between a traditional gallery and a studio is that in a gallery, the owner takes a percent commission from sales, where as in a studio, the artists pay to rent the space for their studio and no commission is taken. The lack of a central website makes it difficult to find the gallery’s location and hours (and probably deters college students, who likely believe that if it doesn’t exist on the web, it might be a shady operation). The current gallery hours are Wed-Sat 1-5 p.m., and Sun 1-4 p.m. or by appointment. Sometimes there are classes on Wed from 1-3, so visiting at this time can be a little distracting. One Eleven Art is located 111 Pennsylvania Ave., Norfolk, VA, (757-625-1110) and you can park right in front of the building on the street. Stop by and enjoy the art and the company of this wonderful group of artists.
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