ARTS
From the outside, Dim Art House looks like any other bungalow along MacArthur Avenue, save for the signpost on the lawn, which has already been creating a buzz, as artist Joey Wallace can attest. “The minute we threw up the sign, you could practically hear people saying, ‘What’s going on over there?’” Wallace is a Springfield native and a 1996 Lanphier High School graduate. He had been living in Chicago for about a decade before returning to Springfield last year. He also traveled extensively as active duty in the Air Force. “I have PTSD, so I am a disabled veteran. And art keeps me above ground,” said Wallace. “All of this keeps me from being six feet under.”
Wallace sits at a fold-up table in what would be a living or dining room, were this a regular house. Instead, artwork lines the walls in gallery style. Prints for sale are stacked in corners. A tarp protects the floor from errant paint splatters. His personal studio is in a would-be bedroom behind him, where he creates visceral abstract multimedia work.
Last fall, Wallace joined forces with two other artists, including Christy Freeman Stark, who operated a studio and gallery in White Oaks Mall. It’s now changed hands into a separate endeavor headed by Angie Tonucci, called the Rainbow Room, which provides inclusive community and creative space.
Dim has a more intimate vibe. As Freeman Stark chats, her toddler son sits on her lap and paints his own masterpiece on a copy of Illinois Times (no offense taken). Freeman Stark specializes in pet portraits and other watercolor paintings involving nature and whimsical animals. She also has a number of pieces in the steam punk style.
“I moved everything from the mall directly over here,” said Freeman Stark. “I’ve got supplies I’m still unpacking and rediscovering.” As she spring cleans, she’s longing for warmer days, when she anticipates energy around the art house will increase. “I feel like we’re all in a holding pattern waiting for the weather to change.”
Dim is currently open by appointment, and an opening reception is planned for mid-March, which will feature nine artists in total. The three core artists are in a generative phase, planting seeds for the future to see what will take root.
The third co-founder of Dim is Jeff Williams, longtime fixture in the local art and music scenes, most notably perhaps as the lead singer of the politically charged punk band NIL8. His paintings feature scenes of the Midwest that he takes in from his long bicycle rides, and artwork of bicycles.
He’s been active in a number of organizations – he’s a member of The Pharmacy Gallery and Art Space, for one – and he’s hoping this new venture will draw some more elusive artists to Dim’s flame.
Williams said Dim is particularly “for people who don’t feel necessarily like they have as much of a voice” in the arts. The owners will embrace the strange and niche. Williams said he prefers a “salon” type of exchange between creatives who might be able to use the space for a variety of functions.
Williams said he has already identified some people through social media whose artwork he thinks is show-worthy, but who have never or rarely featured it in a gallery setting, some for financial reasons. He said the positive reactions he gets when he reaches out to them about collaborating is part of what drives his community involvement. “I love that kind of connection,” said Williams.
Contact Rachel Otwell at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter: @MsOtwell.
Dim Art House is at 1613 S. MacArthur in Springfield and will host an opening reception called “Psychedelia” 4-9 p.m. March 19. For more information, follow Dim at: facebook.com/DimArtHouse