Julia told me that that was where the gallery would one day expand into, once a second point of egress was built. Looking around, I noticed that there was what appeared to be a very large studio space. I created a rail system with steel rod anchors – I did a lot of the installation myself.” I had to come up with other ways to hang the art. “And you can’t anchor into SpeedTile walls. “Rick didn’t want to change the SpeedTile walls, and I don’t blame him,” said Julia. Because they had to reflect the space, and work with the space. “It’s all about the reveal,” pointed out Michelle, whose own jewelry-works are featured in a display case at the gallery.Īs for the gallery itself, the works are ingeniously hung and displayed in ways that are as imaginative as the works themselves. Guests to the gallery are invited to use “treasure hunting” flashlights to spy the colorfully concealed details, that bring the works to life. Julia has painted magical little “Easter eggs” in all of her works that can be seen with ultraviolet light. It is through their own quirky characteristics that Julia tells the story of her sister. Sarah, who was a professional ballet dancer, is mystically represented in a couple of the works, but her friends are mostly the focal points – Julia initially photographed them, and then recreated their likenesses by hand, using a number of mediums and techniques. The premiere show and gallery unveiling is dedicated to these figureheads in her life, but mostly her sister Sarah who she spent a significant amount of time with at her home in New Orleans before her passing – a place that had captivated her in ways that Julia has now playfully captured in this series of works. While this gallery is a source of inspiration for Julia, it is also a way to express her emotions as they pertain to a couple of significant losses in her life – her mother a year ago, and her sister two years ago. She’s also incorporated many family heirlooms, which was befitting of the project, as I soon learned (and so will you). In fact, it’s better than intact, because Julia has amplified the sustainable message by creating a backdrop for her art that cleverly plays off the make-shift components of the site. Instead of throwing up drywall and painting the walls, the character of the space is still intact. ![]() In true Duende-style, the gallery is made from mostly upcycled and repurposed, utilitarian objects. Hearing that he had hooked up with Julia, and consequently Michelle, I figured that whatever I was going to walk into was going to be great. I always knew that Silo City visionary Rick Smith would have an exciting plan for the second floor of the Duende (formerly a small office building situated on the formerly industrial grounds) establishment. Michelle DaRin JewelryĪ couple of weeks ago, one of my favorite jewelry/designers in the region – Michelle DaRin out of Syracuse – reached out to me to tell me that Julia was opening the gallery, and I had to come witness the fabulousness in person, which I readily agreed to do. ![]() I was always fascinated with her creations, which I ended up selling at my shop on Elmwood Avenue back in the day. The Gallery at Duende is being curated and operated by artist/creator Julia Skop, who I first met via her handblown glass jewelry business – Antinomy Designs. Aside from having some fabulous UB-Rigidized Metals sculptures on the grounds, there’s a new second floor art gallery that is in the process of opening. I’m a fan of the design, the amenities… the art. Maybe it’s the history? The proximity to the waterfront? Or the focus on sustainability. There’s something about the environs that speaks to me. ![]() Duende at Silo City is one of my favorite places to go to unwind.
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