Holloway's Vision
July 8, 2007
By JOSEPH SITARZ
Index-Journal Features/Accent Editor
GREENWOOD, SC - Photographer Jon Holloway had a picture in his mind of what his ideal gallery and studio should be.
There would be plenty of room to showcase his work. A gallery for exhibits. A studio and office. Before any of that could be seen, he had to deal with years of wear and tear in what others might have viewed as a tired old building along Maxwell Avenue in Uptown Greenwood.
He saw fluorescent lights before he could see sky. He saw green before he could see natural brick walls.
"It's been a fun journey," Holloway said with a smile, while standing and looking around the entrance of jon o. holloway fine art studio and gallery about a week before Friday's grand opening. Under foot are the results of his labors - an acid-washed, multi-coated and multi-waxed floor that leads people into the gallery or into his office.
He needed to take a leap of faith, so leap he did with only his desire and vision to drive him.
Holloway is opening the studio during this week's South Carolina Festival of Discovery, an annual celebration of music and food in Uptown. He opens his doors 5 p.m. Friday for tours. On Saturday, the gallery is one of the stops on the Festival's Blues Cruise.
"I guess for me it's about creating my own place that I have to exist in daily - that's just a beautiful space and makes me happy," Holloway said during a recent tour of the building. "I guess I'm just trying to create a space I'd want to go to work at everyday and create a beautiful feel where it's fun to meet people or do a photo shoot. The light in here is incredible for photography," Holloway said.
The move into the two-story building, which has about 5,000 square feet per floor, marks the second time he'll be based in Uptown. Before moving to his former studio on Grace Street, which he out grew, Holloway had a studio in what used to be photographer Tom Hutto's studio, also on Maxwell next to Debs and Brides.
While the upper space is known as the Sundance Gallery, Holloway said it really shines when the sun goes down.
"It's beautiful at night," Holloway said. "I kept the original skylights."
There's another 3,500 square feet next door for space to become art studios for rent. There will be two gallery spaces.
Work is still being done on the smaller building next door.
"I think this is going to be a fun place for people to work in more of an art community setting," Holloway said. "It's going to be a place where people can bounce ideas off of each other. I think this is going to be really neat," he said, adding there will be 10 art studios and two common galleries. "It will give artists the opportunity to have solo shows once or twice a year. It would allow for a group show once a year, maybe benefit a charity."
"They're doing this a lot in Greenville with old buildings. There's not a lot of up-keep. It just makes it a really neat space."
There's work planned for the outdoor area at the back of the building on Oregon Avenue.
The main floor of the studio/gallery features an office, a traditional as well as a digital darkroom, changing rooms, studio space, bathrooms, meeting area and elevator. The upper floor has a gallery, digital photo library, bathrooms and more.
Holloway plans to have concerts in the gallery besides having the space available for weddings, private parties or corporate meetings.
"It's a unique space," Holloway said.
What he created exceeds his expectations and could become an example of what's to come for Uptown Greenwood's Emerald Triangle Arts and Cultural District along Oregon and Maxwell Avenues. The triangle and district are being built around the Arts Center at the Federal Building, Greenwood Community Theatre, and The Museum.
In a story in the Index Journal earlier this year, Greenwood City Council approved establishing an overlay design review district Uptown. The district includes all properties within and adjacent to the Emerald Triangle Arts and Cultural District along Oregon and Maxwell Avenues. The city was awarded a SC Department of Commerce Opportunity Grant for facade improvements to 26 buildings in the area, including Holloway's.
According to a city news release, the paper reported, the design review process' intent is to ensure alterations, additions, demolitions and new construction will not adversely affect the architectural character in the district.
Greenwood Assistant City Manager Charlie Barrineau said the grant the city received allows for about $20,000 for facade improvements for each of the buildings. The property owners of the buildings are responsible for a 10 percent match on the grant.
Barrineau said Furman Architects, Inc. of Greenwood developed the district guidelines with the input of the City and County Planning Department and property owners within the Emerald Triangle.
"Everyone with the city has been great," Holloway said. "Everyone has pulled together to make this happen. It's been nice to see."
Much of the work was done by Holloway which he was learning the ins and outs of commercial space and codes. He's quick to credit the help of friends and family.
"I did a lot of the dirty work myself," Holloway said, adding he used the labor of friends and family to accomplish the task of renovating the building. "I've painted, stained, sandblasted. Some days we've been up here to all hours of the night working."
He's found new uses for items removed from the building. Sprinkler pipes, leftover conduit, tin ceiling panels, the gate from the freight elevator, wood and other items are now anything from railings to doors and door frames.
The upstairs wood flooring had been blackened by years of wear and Holloway wanted to keep the aesthetics of the worn wood.
Instead of sanding the floor to raw wood, he decided to skipsand which allowed for drag marks, burns and holes to be seen on the refinished floor.
The walls were painted green. Sandblasting uncovered bricked over windows and advertising art, including Coca-Cola, which were left as visual affects.
The building has come a long way from when more than 6,000 mufflers were hanging upstairs.
"When I first came up here, there was a dropped-in ceiling, all the ceiling tiles were black and there were hundreds of wooden poles run into the ceiling. It was really cluttered up here," he said.
Holloway climbed a ladder and popped a ceiling tile. The rest is history.
"I saw the ceilings, I saw the murals and I thought, 'This could be gorgeous,'" Holloway said. "I guess I could visualize the brick if it was sandblasted, the ceiling if it was exposed, the I-beams if they were painted. I guess I could see that and knew the potential."
One of the bathrooms features "Vickery sinks," Holloway said, pointing to the tiled-overed sink without a basin which has water running down a slanted countertop to a drain.
"My friend Jimmy Vickery made them," Holloway said. "I knew what I wanted and we designed it and he made it."
He's used leftover tile from his home and put new tops on tables that were once owned by Greenwood photographer Mac McJunkin. Some of the bricks are from the mill being torn down that was owned by Greenwood Mills.
The Emerald Triangle didn't sway Holloway to purchase the building.
"I initially bought the building not knowing what was going to happen to the area," he said. "I think a lot of the buildings in this area are undiscovered. In the '60's they covered up a lot of the beauty of these old buildings. These buildings are incredibly built. I bought this building long before there was ever any Emerald Triangle project and before there were any grants. Take a look at other communities across the state and you can see a lot of downtowns are being restored. A lot of communities are moving back to where their roots are."
There should be plenty of traffic from the Festival of Discovery.
On Friday, the gallery opens at 5 p.m. for tours and music from Greenwood musician Jason Swain. Freddie Vanderford performs in the gallery starting at 8 p.m. Saturday as part of the Festival of Discovery's Blues Cruise. The Blues Cruise is a two-day music fest at venues in Uptown.
"I'm really excited about the 13th and 14th and have the Festival here," Holloway said. "It will be interesting to see how the place can accommodate people. It should be fun to see."
Holloway has another hope for opening weekend.
"Hopefully people will be able to walk in this building and see the potential of the other buildings in the area and restore them and have something you couldn't build today. I think a lot of people look at old buildings as old buildings. Until they're shown what the potential is for the building, they don't really see it," Holloway said. "They're incredible."
"I think there are going to be a lot of changes down this street in the next couple of years. Some day this little area will be a vibrant part of the town. This will become Greenwood's little West End (a booming area for recreation and commerce in downtown Greenville). It's an exciting time."
|