AZ Gallery rebrands as The Burl
Jake Spitzack
Staff Writer
In early September, the AZ Gallery’s black and white awning fluttered to the ground and a new sign was raised in its place, officially proclaiming the gallery’s rebranding to The Burl Community Art Gallery.
A burl is a protective, knot-like growth that forms on a tree in response to stress. Gallery owners Amy Clark and Beth Stoneberg thought it was the perfect symbol for Lowertown’s artist community, especially following the pandemic, when opportunities to sell art were slim. The first exhibit under the new name is “Collective ALCHEMY IV,” and will run Sept. 28-Nov. 17. It will showcase 62 works by 62 artists, 40 of whom have never had their work grace the gallery.
Clark and Stoneberg assumed ownership of the Argyle Zebra Gallery in early 2022 when it was transitioning from an artists’ cooperative to a community art gallery. As a coop, members paid annual dues and assisted with gallery operations such creating exhibit themes, curating artwork and maintaining the space. Now that it’s a community gallery, artists simply respond to calls for art and Stoneberg and Clark take care of the rest, taking a commission from each sale to keep the gallery doors open.
The coop had just six to eight members at any given time, so people saw much less artwork when they visited the gallery in those days. Since the shift, the gallery has exhibited the works of more than 600 artists of all experience levels, and continues to see a surge.
“The artists and community came together and protected us, and helped us continue to grow,” said Stoneberg, who has been a gallery member since 2008. “It’s really about strength, preservation and community, and just folding into one another…. We want Lowertown to continue to thrive, and part of it is showing that we aren’t going away or giving up.”
Artists can submit their work to The Burl for free, and none of the gallery’s four annual exhibits has a theme or size or pricing restrictions because the owners want artists to submit their very best art.
The exhibits are juried to ensure that each one is as diverse as possible and Clark curates them in the 2,000 square-foot space, which has been outfitted with new wooden display tables and platforms over the past year. The Burl’s annual signature exhibits are “Rejected,” which displays art that was not accepted to the State Fair fine arts competition, and “Tiny Art Show,” a wintertime holiday exhibit featuring small pieces that cost $100 or less.
“We get a really diverse body of art,” said Clark. “Sometimes if there’s a theme, things get really stagnant, and you see repetition of ideas instead of individual pieces that really reflect the artist’s aesthetic and what they’re really passionate about. That’s what I enjoy about not having a theme.”
Another change to the gallery is that Stoneberg and Clark expect to attain 501(c)(3) nonprofit status by next spring, which would open the door for it to accept grants and hold fundraising events, and for donors to get tax deductions for donations.
“We don’t take a salary. We do this because we believe in Lowertown and its artists,” said Clark. “It [the gallery] opened doors for me, especially when I joined in 2004. The first day here, I sold two paintings and it gave me excitement and that’s what I want to help give back to the community. I want to help these young artists.”
The owners hope to host classes in the future to connect artists with one another and teach them about various aspects of the gallery industry.
“A lot of artists are isolationists, and the business end of art isn’t their strong suit,” said Clark. “We usher them into the community and make them show their best work…. You have to learn how to get criticism and stand up for your art, and how to present your best self to the public.”
The free gallery, founded in 1997, is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. It will be open those days during the St. Paul Fall Art Crawl, held Oct. 4-6, and will host an artist celebration that’s free and open to the public 4-8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 5. The gallery is located on the street level of the Northwestern Building, 308 Prince St. For more information, call 651-224-3757 or visit theazgallery.org.