Skylab Gallery prepares for relaunch

In early October, the tenants living at Skylab Gallery learned that their lease would not be renewed, raising fears in the arts community that the long-running DIY space, founded in 1998 at 57 E. Gay St., could be coming to an end.

“There are some things that have a larger value in the city, in the culture, than what you can see on a spreadsheet,” the New York-based writer (and former Skylab tenant) James Payne said in an October interview. “And if it is gone, which I hope it isn’t, the Skylab niche won’t be easily filled.”

Upon receiving the eviction notice, the tenants initially made overtures to the property management company, Wallace F. Ackley, which ignored their pleas, holding firm on a requirement to have the property vacated by Nov. 30. The group then pivoted toward a search for a new location, first exploring a move to the Short North before being shown a space on South High Street that rests just a 10-minute walk from the former Gay Street location.

“When I saw the space, I was like, ‘Hold on, I think this might be it,’” said Trent Mosely, joined by Reg Zehner and Cameron Granger for an early January interview. “It’s a big, empty space with a lot of windows and tall ceilings. … Seeing how open it was, I could just tell there was a lot of potential. With the old Skylab, and how it used to look, it had always been makeshift, with walls being built and the artists sort of molding the space to fit their needs. And I saw the potential for something similar in this new space.”

Located on the third floor in a former office complex that has been abandoned since the early months of Covid, the new location offers both ample square footage – Mosely estimated it at somewhere between 2,500 and 3,000 square feet – and the potential to expand into the lower floors of the building in future years. It will also offer the DIY gallery a degree of security, with the initial lease extending for a five-year term. Following initial renovations, current plans are to relaunch the space in March or April with a DJ party and an exhibition focused on emerging Columbus artists.

To support the costs of the move, associated deposits, and to complete the gallery build-out, which will include the creation of shared studio spaces designed to defray the cost of monthly rent, the collective is running a GoFundMe with the aim of raising $15,000; the group is also seeking donations and sponsorships, and interested parties can email gallery.skylab@gmail.com for more information.

Mosely, Zehner and Granger each described the new location as the next evolution of Skylab, determined to preserve its legacy as a DIY incubator while also finding ways to extend and expand upon its mission. “We want it to be a gathering place, a landing place, for people to be able to do the shit they wouldn’t be able to do elsewhere,” said Granger, who also expressed an interest in growing regional connections, co-hosting events with midwestern DIY spaces located in cities such as Detroit, Cleveland and Cincinnati. “We really want to be a bridge to other spaces in the region. And Skylab has been doing that, but I think there’s room to do that in a larger way with this new building.”

Maintaining Skylab’s downtown presence should help preserve an aspect of what has made it such an integral part of the Columbus arts scene for decades. In a series of October interviews, past residents repeatedly brought up the proximity of the Gay Street digs to CCAD, highlighting the importance of students being located within walking distance of a space where they could be introduced to alternate approaches to making and presenting art.

“I taught at CCAD, and I went through CCAD, so I’m not a hater of CCAD, but the whole vibe there is very corporate and normative,” Payne said. “It’s cool to have a place like Skylab so close to expose people to a different version of what creative production can look like.”

Discussing the relaunch of Skylab, Granger and Zehner also spoke about drawing lessons from past Columbus DIY ventures, including MINT Collective and Corrugate Studio Collective & Gallery, spaces which Zehner said helped to open their mind to more experimental forms of collaboration and creation. “The first time I went to MINT was actually for Cameron’s show (‘Boost Mobile’) with Jacob Mason-Macklin, Tyler Davis, and a few other people,” Zehner said. “And just how boundary-pushing and experimental the art there was helped to get me more interested in DIY spaces. … It was an exhibition, but you could also just hang out there and be. It just felt very inviting, and I think Skylab has that vibe perfectly.”

There are some differences, though, including an increased focus on establishing an early business plan, with Granger comparing the creation of MINT to “building the airplane as we were flying it.” 

“One thing that feels different from other times I’ve been involved in spaces like this is we’re having hard conversations about money … and trying to plan for the future, because we’re baked into this five-year lease, which on one hand gives us more stability than we’ve had at places in the past, but also forces us to be like, okay, we’re in this for five years,” Granger said. “We’ve seen so many of our spaces close for financial reasons or other things outside of our control. So, yeah, I think there’s just more conversation around what we’re going to do to keep this afloat on the front end, which I think is good and necessary and will only lead to more success in the future.”