Arts & Entertainment
Adam Lister Gallery Gives Art 'The Space' in Fairfax
Northern Virginia native comes home to provide a place for artists.
On University Drive in Fairfax, within the front section of THE SPACE, artists gather to discuss their latest work, and kids and adults take classes amid wall-hangings and sculptures.
The Adam Lister Gallery started as a temporary gig back in 2009. Since then it's stuck around, and with the help of its namesake, is still going strong.
Adam Lister, a Northern Virginia native, moved back to the area almost three years ago. After spending his high school career and several years at Northern Virginia Community College immersed in art, he took his talents to the School of Visual Arts in New York City, where he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
When he returned, Lister started looking around for studio space. He stumbled upon a group called the Commission on the Arts in Fairfax. One of the group’s main supporters, Joanna Ormesher, was working to fill empty spaces with local art groups. Together they created the Adam Lister Gallery.
Ormesher suggested that Lister become artist-in-residence for THE SPACE and share it with a few different theater and acting groups. Initially, the space was to be temporary, only three to four months. A year-and-a-half later, the space is still an active place for artists to be.
The gallery is a Joint sponsorship between the Commission on the Arts and KIMCO Realty.
“Both groups have been supportive to local artists and community-based groups so they are happy to have us here," Lister said.
Why Fairfax for the Adam Lister Gallery?
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Lister did not remember the city being particularly artist-friendly back when he was growing up. Since then the climate changed.
“One of the main problems was the lack of venues to show art and meet other artists as a collective group,” he said.
In January, the gallery started a program for teens on Saturday afternoons. Students are invited to work on whatever they are interested in. There are no assignments, just a non-judgmental studio vibe to encourage creativity.
Recently the gallery opened its doors to host two local high school exhibits, featuring and .
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“It was just an opportunity for the kids to see what is out there and possibly make connections with other artists,” Lister said.
Looking to the future, he finds it hard to plan too far ahead. THE SPACE is still temporary, but there are a few shows planned through the summer highlighting small work, graphic designers, and artist-in-residence, JAMIN, as well as Lister himself.
As for longterm goals, Lister would like to find a more permanent space and start a studio program where artists can have their own space in addition to the studio selling exhibition space.
