Royal NoneSuch Gallery
Address: 4231 Telegraph Ave. Oakland, CA 94606
Contact: Elizabeth Bernstein
Email: royalnonesuchgallery@gmail.com
Website: www.royalnonesuchgallery.com
Phone: 415 652-1623
Open Hours: Saturday and Sunday 1-4 and by appointment
How is the project operated?
Royal NoneSuch Gallery is an artist run space that is fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas in NYC.
How long has it been in existence?
We have been open since May of 2009.
What was your motivation?
It came from a desire to work with artists, curators, and makers of all sorts. We also wanted to be a space that supports artistic experimentation and risk taking.
Number of organizers/responsible persons of the project.
Currently there are three directors of Royal NoneSuch Gallery. Elizabeth Bernstein, Kathleen Quillian, and Carey Lin. Carrie Hott who has been with us from the start just left the gallery to pursue other avenues. We’ll miss her!
How are programs funded?
We are entirely funded through grants, fundraising campaigns, and donations that are collected during shows and events.
Who is responsible for the programming?
The three of us work closely together and are responsible for all the programming.
Number and average duration of exhibitions/events per year.
Each project is generally in the gallery for between four and six weeks. Within that time we might have 2 or 3 events, in addition to the opening, that relate to the show or series.
What kind of events are usually organized?
It really varies from month to month since events are always in conjunction with a show, project or series. In addition to openings, we’ve had screenings, workshops, performances, lectures of all sorts, dance lessons, staged performances, open studios for our resident artist, and music etc. etc.
How is your programming determined?
When the directors meet together we pretty much open brain storm ideas and possibilities. Once artists are invited we usually collaborate with them on programming, or they might come to us with a great idea and that’s great too!
Do you accept proposals/submissions?
Yes! We encourage submissions. Please visit our website www.royalnonesuchgallery.com and click on the contact link.
What is your artistic/curatorial approach?
We strive through all our programming to be thought provoking, conceptually rigorous, accessible and fun.
What’s working? What’s not working?
The advantage of being a non-commercial space is that we are entirely motivated by ideas and collaborations with artists. We have total freedom to experiment and allow artists to do the same. The downside is that we work very hard to maintain the schedule and are always scraping by financially.
What kind of role do you hope to play in your local art scene or community?
We are really excited to be a a part of the emerging art scene in Oakland. It’s a great time to be here and do what we do. Hopefully we can encourage more people to get involved.
What idea are you most excited about for the future?
We are really excited about the upcoming projects that we have in the space. We feel really lucky to be able to work with such amazing artists and curators!
Images courtesy of Royal NoneSuch Gallery.
Sarrita Hunn is the managing editor and co-founder of Temporary Art Review. Over the last decade, she has worked with many artist-run and alternative spaces and projects across the globe including recently at Koh-i-noor (Copenhagen, Denmark) with sponsorship from the Danish Arts Council. www.sarritahunn.com
