After one year downtown, Love Texas Art announced it will close up shop.
The gallery, which was co-founded by Ariel Davis and Margery Gossett, focused on making art more accessible and showcasing Texas talent.
“Opening Love Texas Art and realizing the idea of a project space, which included a gallery and artist residency, in such a public space has been a joy,” Davis said in a news release.
“We were successful in supporting a diverse range of artists and were approachable yet unexpected works. We connected with a new audience and felt an overwhelmingly positive response to the gallery. We invite all those who enjoyed the work at Love Texas Art to continue to explore works by Texas Artists at our sister gallery, Artspace111.”
In its short tenure at 501 Houston St. in Sundance Square, the gallery hosted nine exhibitions, saw more than 20,000 visitors and provided studio space to four resident artists.
Antonio Lechuga is one of a handful of artists who hosted a solo show in the gallery.
Less than a month after his exhibition “Fences” opened, he was shot while jogging near his home in Dallas. The gallery quickly rallied behind him, extending his show, organizing a fundraiser and supporting a GoFundMe campaign that collected just shy of $30,000 to help with his recovery.
Davis aims to continue to build community with other artists in the area and said the closure will give her more time to focus on creating her own art and will open up time for other projects, including the launch of One Eleven Art Consultants.
The consulting firm is a formal extension of the work Gossett and Davis have already done with residential and commercial clients.
“We have an opportunity to grow our passion of helping individuals, corporations and developers by listening to their specific needs, connecting them to artists and expanding their vision with the addition of art,” Gossett wrote in a news release.
Love Texas Art follows the recent exit of two other downtown galleries, Dang Good Candy, which vacated its space on Houston Street and Bale Creek Allen, which relocated to the Near Southside.
The final day to visit Love Texas Art will be May 28.
Marcheta Fornoffcovers the arts for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at marcheta.fornoff@fortworthreport.org or on Twitter. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.