DIM Art House is
closing its studio and gallery for the time being, but not ceasing operations.
“Our landlord sold the
building; we always knew it was a possibility but never thought it would happen,”
said Christy Freeman Stark, who founded DIM in 2019 along with Joe Wallace and
Jeff Williams. “The reality hit us hard a couple weeks ago. We’re basically
unhoused at this point, but we’re not really looking for a brick-and-mortar
right now.”
DIM was originally located in a house on MacArthur Boulevard that had been converted to studio space and then relocated to 319 Chatham Road in March 2022.
“When we moved into
this bigger place the overhead got the best of us, and we ended up working more
to keep the doors open,” she said. “We want to take some time and do our own
art for a little bit.”
As of March 1, DIM
will not have its own physical location, but Stark said they are already in
discussions with several local business owners who are interested in hosting
pop-up and themed shows. She also said DIM will continue to take part in
community events, such as an annual spring partnership with the Animal
Protective League where the artists paint portraits of the shelter animals and donate
proceeds from the sales back to the APL.
A final show, “Echos/Life
Gallery” is planned for Saturday, Feb. 17, from 5-8 p.m. In addition, Stark
said DIM will be clearing out its inventory of equipment, tools, supplies and artwork
with a one-day sale.
Overall, Stark said
she remains optimistic about the future of DIM.
“We will probably
find a brick-and-mortar in the future, but not in the next couple months. DIM
has a vibe and a following, and we don’t want to lose that.”
