Timeline: 1998-2000
S.T Gallery
in the Fort Point Artists' Community

 

 

 

1997 - Sand T moved to 15-17 Stillings Street Artists' building soon after she graduated from her MFA program at Tufts University and the Museum School. Then, she maintained an art studio in the basement of the Revolving Museum located at 288-300 A Street in the Fort Point Artists Community, Boston, MA.
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1998 - S.T Gallery was established by Sand T as an artist-funded-operated gallery at 15-17 Stillings Street. It was designed, built and finished in October 1998. It housed a gallery, three studio spaces, a home and an office. Sand T moved her studio from the Revolving Museum to Stillings Street.

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August- October 1998 - Building S.T Gallery in Fort Point

    

     

       

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1998 A premier show INVITATIONAL ART EXHIBIT was installed to announce the grand opening of S.T GALLERY.
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1998 IDENTITY / ID / MODE
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1999 12 NEW ENGLAND ARTISTS
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1999 Vernacular Art - Slides Presentation+ Artist Talk by Jeremy Liu
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1999 Translation of Tang + Ming Dynasty Chinese Poetry Reading + Talk by Doris Chu
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1999 Classical music performance by Xiao-Dan Liu/violinist + Cy Gilbert/flute Soloist

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"Rumors" about the demolition of Stillings Street buildings began spreading in August 1999.

In October 1999, all tenants of 11-23 Stillings Street received the 1st eviction notice which was effective on December 31, 1999 from the Boston Wharf Company.

A plan of a 500-vehicle garage and office building was made to replace three low-lying structures occupied by dozens of artists for more than two decades.

The warehouse buildings on Stillings Street were built in 1905 and 1907.

32 artist-tenants that lived and worked in the buildings and 5 small businesses were displaced by this proposed demolition.

1999 CELEBRATION IN THE CASTLE OF SAND - One-Day Temporary Art -
Leave Some Art for the Demolishers to Find - Dec 19th.
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1999 Chinese Tea Art: Tea Tasting + Preparation presented by
Tea Master James Hsu
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Received 2nd eviction notice which had extended to
January 31, 2000.

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Community meetings were organized, signatures were collected; concerns were addressed, letters of petition were arrayed and sent to respective authorities throughout the cause, but these efforts didn’t change the faith of Stillings Street.  

Received 3rd Eviction Notice which had extended to April 2, 2000.

Stillings Street artists got together and organized the very last event for Stillings Street in March 2000. A round-the-clock 15-hour reception was held on March 11.  At 9:00pm, a candle light procession was held for Stillings Street Wake. Events included exhibitions, 16mm film screenings, fashion shows, poetry readings, music performances organized by neighbor artists were held at Stillings Street buildings till the next morning. Some 400 individuals attended this last event held at Stillings Street Buildings.

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2000 - LAST SHOW: " 9 SOLOS, ALONE TOGETHER – Stillings Street Wake" was held at S.T Gallery to mark the end of the era of the 95-year-old Stillings Street buildings. Exhibition Dates: March 11 - 25, 2000. Featured artists: Mark D'Aquila, Qin Feng, Wesley Kalloch, Takashi Nakamura, Moni Oolyonghai, Sand T, Sara Thompson, Dennis Sagwitz, Lawrence Wong. Opening reception: March 11 from 4 - 7pm. At 9pm a candlelight procession was held for Stillings Street Wake.

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S.T Gallery + Sand T moved from 15 - 17 Stillings Street in Fort Point to 16 Princeton Road in Malden on April 1, 2000.

Stillings Street buildings were demolitioned two weeks later.

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Even if we didn’t save the Stillings Street buildings, but I believe our efforts helped to create public awareness of the migration of artists from the Boston area looking for affordable live/work space.

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Transition:
from Fort Point to Malden
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An Interview Conducted Via Electronic Mail
By James Manning, Director of Art Initiative, Inc.

Winter-Spring 2003

James Manning: How did losing your old space ( a gallery, art studios, office and living space) in South Boston's Fort Point Artists' Community* affect you and the decisions you have made in building and establishing the new gallery space, artSPACE@16 in Malden? (*Fort Point Artists Community is the oldest and largest artists' community in New England.)

Sand T: I put in a tremendous effort in establishing and building S.T Gallery at Stillings Street where I had art studios, an office, and gallery since 1997. When the redeveloper decided to take down the Stillings Street buildings for a 9-story parking garage, I experienced tremendous lost. It wasn't a pleasant experience - for these 50 artists who had studios and small businesses at Stillings Street for the past two decades, including myself. I only wish that these changes could have been made in ways that considered the needs of the community. A community that had culturally revitalized Fort Point, and has brought in business and safety to the Fort Point area where no one wanted to go more than twenty ago.

Instead of being a passive victim groaning over the death of my years at Stillings Street, this major setback had transformed into a cause, a positive motivation in continuing what I've been enjoying doing. I gained a strong desire to make space for art during my recovery from the loss of my old space. Shortly after I moved to Malden in April 2000, I decided to rebuild a new art space in a converted garage space with the kind help from Wesley Kalloch, my husband and friends. This newly renovated art space earned its name artSPACE@16 from the street number and being operating as a non-commercial art space. Besides curating and organizing exhibitions, I continue working in collaboration with individuals and community organizations to promote art from artSPACE@16 and other venues. Our events include exhibitions, forums, music performances, poetry readings and other collaborations in the community.

James Manning: Did you have any connections to the Fort Point Artists Community in South Boston similar to what is being established in Malden or did that develop after the transition?

Sand T: My time working with Fort Point Artists Community was too short. I only wished that S.T Gallery (which was established in Oct 1998) could be there longer to be fully established. At the same time, if it were not because of that lost, I would not have created artSPACE@16 and being part of building an artists' community in Malden........

( CLICK HERE: To read the full interview. )

 

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