Introducing the ARTBAR

There is a visionary in your neighborhood who believes that our local community can be educated about, and engaged with, art created in Boston. This enthusiast also believes that through positive experiences viewers can even be encouraged to support local artists by purchasing their work. This is a woman named Scott Cipolla, an artist in her own right, and founder of Alternate Currents. Cipolla began Alternate Currents in 2004 in response to a need for a strong platform to exist for Boston artists. Through her efforts she strives to cultivate and promote a voice for the Boston arts community, "We bring together the diverse art neighborhoods and represent them as a whole, encouraging networking and communication between these talented groups. Fostering a year round "open studios" atmosphere, Alternate Currents makes it easy for clients and collectors to gain access to new and contemporary works by Boston's visionary artists."

Cipolla's latest enterprise is ARTBAR, a unique space for local art that integrates original works by Boston artists into a professional workspace atmosphere. The venue for ARTBAR is WorkBar, a flexible downtown shared office space for Boston's independent professionals or small teams to call 'the office'. Modeled after a coffeebar atmosphere, WorkBar offers an alternative to working as a freelancer out of cafes or the home. WorkBar Director, Bill Jacobson states "For about the price of a latte a day, you can have a professional shared office environment with wifi, printers, phone service, conference rooms, administration staff, and of course free coffee. We are excited about WorkBar's partnership with Alternate Currents because we see a core part of our mission is to provide opportunities for our members to make deep connections with the surrounding community - something that is often difficult for an independent worker to do on their own."

With its unique structure and viewpoint on the modern culture of the self-employed professional, WorkBar is a nattural partner for Cipolla's exhibitions, since artists are some of the world's oldest freelancers. This new gallery and workspace is located at 129 South Street, on the second floor, right above Les Zygomates, a popular neighborhood bistro. ARTBAR and will feature four exhibitions per year in conjunction with events and receptions. The inaugural show, ARTBAR 1, features artworks by Jessica Burko, Scott Cipolla, John Diehl, Keith Francis, Anna Koon, Maureen O’Connor, Justin Pilotte, Diana Rice and Andrew Woodward. A reception celebrating this exhibition and new partnership will be held Thursday, August 13, from 5 to 7 pm. The reception is free and open to the public. This first of ArtBar’s quarterly art exhibitions will run from August 5th to November 9th.