The spotlight has settled on Brighton Corner. Local media (CityBeat included) have watched the buildings around Central Parkway and Brighton Place attract a new wave of young artists. Semantics Gallery has settled down nicely in its Harrison Avenue home. An 11-foot-tall stainless steel sculpture by veteran artist Pat Renick stands as the gateway to the newfound arts neighborhood.
The momentum continues with the Aug. 29 opening of Embryo Gallery for Young Artists. Here is the type of arts forum the community sorely lacks: a professional gallery space dedicated to the work of young artists.
Embryo is the handiwork of Scott Ponder and his wife, Melanie Goldfuss-Ponder. They rented the first floor of the Harrison Avenue building adjacent to Semantics Gallery. Personal loans helped pay for the rehabbing. There has already been some grassroots fund raising. Seven months of hard work and elbow grease have converted a room full of junk into sleek exhibition space. But the true inspiration for Embryo can be found toddling on the gallery floor on a recent weekday afternoon. Scott and Melanie's 8-month-old twin boys, Dagan and Gus Ponder, wiggle and laugh in their khaki pants and orange Embryo T-shirts.
Here is giggling proof of Embryo's existence: the need to support future generations of local artists. More importantly, Embryo will also serve as an exhibition space for area student artists. The hope is that the more opportunities young artists have to display their art publicly, the greater chance these same artists might remain and work in Cincinnati. Think about it: A gallery like Embryo can become a catalyst to slow the creative brain drain that happens when emerging artists leave town.
"I wanted to find a way of getting more creative people around these little guys," says Scott Ponder. "I want to show them that if you want to draw pictures all day, you can. I want them to see real people pursuing their life's passions. Because where I grew up, I didn't know anyone in the art field."
Scott's adolescence in Hamilton, Ohio, was decidedly art-free. So he wants his sons to have the opportunities he never had. At age 27, he left his stylist job at a Kenwood salon and decided to go into the gallery business. Melanie hasn't decided yet if she will return as a teacher at Cincinnati Public Schools. For now, the gallery has become the focus of their time and energy. It's as if they have a third son. Granted, giving up stable income is an unlikely decision for new parents. But Scott has never doubted his decision to start Embryo. He's rejuvenated every time he looks into Dagan and Gus' eyes. "This is the only thing I ever started that makes my hair stand on end," says Scott.
A jug of Greased Lightning cleaner sits ready for the next wave of cleaning. Already the gallery space looks good. There is still lighting to be installed, and the plumbing needs to be replaced. There are long days ahead before Embryo welcomes its inaugural artists.
The initial plan is for Embryo to be a gallery space only. There is no room for educational classes. More importantly, there is a realistic limit to Scott and Melanie's manpower, although it's hard to imagine that Embryo will remain a two-person effort much longer. Already there is talk of buying the building and converting the upper floors into artist lofts.
There are plenty of young children interested in art. Students from the Art Academy, area universities and ArtWorks are always looking for public exhibition space. Embryo looks to be the type of arts catalyst anyone would support. Its first exhibition, a collaboration with Where We Make Things Happen Inc., is proof of the natural synergy Embryo offers to local arts-education groups. It's easy to see the possible partnerships, although time will tell if Cincinnati's arts community will embrace this grassroots effort.
Printer-friendly version
