Downtown Fayetteville has a new art gallery in a restored warehouse
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People lined up Wednesday to check out the new Alexander Gallery. Photo: Alex Golden/Axios
A historic warehouse in downtown Fayetteville is open to the public for the first time in 35 years, and now it's an art gallery.
State of play: Walton Arts Center will operate the Alexander Gallery in what is now called the Porter Art Warehouse.
- Walton Arts Center and the city of Fayetteville worked to restore the building known as the Porter Produce Warehouse, which is co-owned by the city and University of Arkansas and is part of Walton Arts Center's lease, Walton Arts Center spokesperson Jennifer Wilson tells Axios.
- It's on North West Avenue next to Grub's Bar and Grille.
The intrigue: The space will showcase local artists' work, Wilson says.
Driving the news: Visitors saw the first exhibition, "Our Art, Our Region, Our Time," at the gallery's grand opening Wednesday evening.
- The exhibition includes 106 works from 75 artists, Walton Arts Center CEO Peter Lane told attendees.
- "I think you will see a real diverse palette of styles and different mediums that really does reflect the diversity of this fabulous community," he said.
Flashback: The warehouse was built in 1906 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. It's been part of Walton Art Center's lease with the city since 1992 but never used as public space because of its structural state, according to the center.
- Walton Arts Center spent $950,000 renovating the building's interior, Wilson says.
- The city restored the exterior, Lane said. The city spent about $1 million on the project, the Fayetteville Flyer reported.
What they're saying: "The arts enrich all of our lives, and to have this artistic endeavor located in this historic space that served Fayetteville for decades going through many iterations makes this renovation even more meaningful," Fayetteville Mayor Molly Rawn said at the opening.
- Rawn also recognized former Mayor Lioneld Jordan, who was in office when the city decided to go forward with the work.
Check it out: The gallery is open 11am-2pm Monday through Wednesday, and 11am-2pm and 5-8pm Thursday through Saturday at 212 N. West Ave. in Fayetteville.