Dana Satterwhite’s TastySpace Gallery is closing inside Emergency Arts on December 1, putting an end to a more than two-year run in the multi-use space Downtown that originally opened as an art-centric building.
The departure follows that of other Emergency Arts galleries in recent years, including Fifth Wall, Kleven Contemporary, CounterSpace, Get Up Gallery, Multiplexer, Gamma Gamma and Lil Art Bodega (which moved into the Container Park).
Moreover, it puts an even larger dent in a Las Vegas art scene that recently saw the financially struggling Contemporary Art Center put a halt to its gallery operations while it focuses on restructuring, after the previous board voted to dissolve the 26-year-old nonprofit organization.
Additionally, Marty Walsh of Trifecta Gallery, the centerpiece of the Arts District (and one of few galleries there that maintains consistent hours), announced in August that she would close her space in the Arts Factory in January. She and husband Pete Walsh plan to move back to Ireland.
Satterwhite, one of the last gallery holdouts inside Emergency Arts, says that the closing of TastySpace is more of a regrouping, and that he'd still like to contribute to the creative community.
In a letter sent to artists and collaborators on Monday afternoon, he referred to the closure of the gallery space as a "graduation" from Emergency Arts, adding, "I think the best thing to do at the moment is strategically retreat, take a minute to breathe and refocus, and emerge somewhere down the line in a different form."
When contacted later, he added, "I just think it's time. I'm sad, because I like doing it. It's very much a part of me. The whole goal was to turn my attention to the city and establish myself as some sort of creative presence. I've just reached the point of diminishing returns. It was never about the money. It just takes a lot. Every bit of energy I put into the gallery is not put into something else."
TastySpace has served as a gallery bridging fine art and design, with rotating exhibits featuring artists from Las Vegas and elsewhere, including Jelaine Faunce, Christina Paulos, Yasmina Chavez, Chris Jones, Susanne Forestieri and Eric Comstock. It's one of a handful of spaces in town with consistent programming that exhibits work by Las Vegas artists and has introduced work by artists in the design industry. Satterwhite also works as a copywriter and creative director in the advertising industry.
TastySpace's last show will be an exhibit by Olivia Gatti, a photographer from Massachusetts, opening November 9, with a reception on November 15.
Emergency Arts originally opened as a hub for the arts, with multiple gallery spaces operating out of the offices and exam rooms of what was once a medical center. Satterwhite, who still drew visitors during the week after the other galleries had long departed, says the overall vibe has changed with the types of spaces in the building.
Mostly, he says, "It's about the physical space going quiet. I don't necessarily agree with the idea that everything doesn't have to be temporary. For me, there needs to be something somewhere that people count on as being consistent and a space to assemble. But I've been doing it for a while. Art is communication at its core. If I can do it effectively on behalf of creative people, that's what it's all about."
