Gallery Protocol

Address: 2029 NW 6th St, Gainesville, FL 32605
Website: www.galleryprotocol.com
Contact: Chase Westfall
Email: chase@galleryprotocol.com
Phone: 352-339-3905
Open Hours: Tues – Fri, 12 – 5pm or by appointment

How is the project operated?
It’s a hybrid situation, but officially we’re a for-profit space.

How long has it been in existence?
We opened our doors in Nov. 2013.

What was your motivation?
To fill what we perceived as a programming gap between the institutional programming offered by The University of Florida and the more informal, locally-oriented offerings of smaller arts organizations in the area, specifically by providing access to relevant and challenging contemporary art in a “commercial gallery” format (which is something you really miss when you’re not in a major art city!).

Number of organizers/responsible persons of the project.
There are three people who oversee the operations of the gallery: Nicholas Moskowitz (owner), Chase Westfall (director), and Steven Speir (assistant director).

How are programs funded?
We are privately funded.

Who is responsible for the programming?
Chase Westfall, as director, in consultation with the owner Nicholas Moskowitz.

Number and average duration of exhibitions/events per year.
We do about 8 exhibitions a year, each averaging just over a month in duration.

What kind of events are usually organized?
The bulk (and focus) of our events are gallery exhibitions – with film screenings, performances, lectures, and our studio residency programs operating in support, or as an extension of those exhibitions.

How is your programming determined?
We identify artists we’re interested in working with and then contact them to determine their interest/availability.

Do you accept proposals/submissions?
No, with one exception: we accept proposals from local artists for our “Summer Sessions” programming – a series of exhibitions that feature Gainesville area artists each July and August.

What kind of role do you hope to play in your local art scene or community?
Somewhat generically, we want to create a space where the community can come together to engage with contemporary art. Within the acute context of Gainesville, as a college town, that means developing programming that will have relevance for both a university and non-university audience. We would like to incubate a scene where university students and faculty can intermingle with local community members, to learn and share from their respective strengths and move beyond their respective constraints. We want to build a bridge between the institutional and grassroots energies of this amazing community.

What idea are you most excited about for the future?
Challenging ourselves with the scope and scale of future exhibitions; We’ve been fortunate to work with some amazing artists and institutions during this first year (much of which is still pending, obviously) and are excited about building on that foundation in years to come – testing the limits of our reach. We’re also very excited to hit full stride in the coming months with our two residency programs: the Artist in Residence Program – a traditional studio residency program for artists from around the country; and our FERMENTER program, which provides free studio space to local artists.