After the Walls Are Quiet: Setting Up at Street SmARTs Gallery

Yesterday was one of those days that feels both ordinary and monumental at the same time.

I carried art through a door.

That’s it. That’s the headline.

But anyone who has ever set up an exhibit knows it’s never just carrying art.

Matt came along, not only to help carry the paintings but also to climb the ladder and make sure every piece hung exactly where it was supposed to. Darrell, the gallery owner, occasionally checked in on us, mostly to make sure Matt was doing his part correctly. 😉 Spoiler: he did, mostly.

Street SmARTs Gallery was quiet when we arrived, the good kind of quiet. Blank walls waited patiently while we leaned paintings against them, tilted our heads, stepped back, stepped forward, and performed the universal artist shuffle, looking busy while pretending to know exactly what we were doing.

I only had an eight-foot stretch of wall to work with, which, for someone who likes to overdo things, could have been a challenge. But this time? It turned out just right. Each piece found its place naturally, some settling easily, some insisting on a slightly different wall or angle, and all of them finding a rhythm I did not expect but loved.

As time passed, my little part of the gallery transformed from a blank wall to a wall bursting with color. Characters appeared. Expressions stared back. Humor showed up where I expected it, and tenderness surprised me where I did not. It was like the wall had a personality of its own, loud, colorful, and just a little dramatic.

Setting up an exhibit is a strange mix of vulnerability and control. You have already finished the work, there is nothing left to fix, but suddenly it is all public. The walls become witnesses. The gallery becomes a storyteller. And your job is to arrange the sentences so the story reads the way you hoped it would when you were standing alone in your studio, paint on your hands, wondering if any of this made sense.

By the time we finished, the room felt different. Warmer. Lived in. Like it was waiting not for me anymore but for you.

There is something deeply satisfying about walking out of a gallery after setup. You leave your work behind, trusting it to speak on its own. You do not get to explain it. You do not get to hover. You just let it exist and hope it finds the people it is meant to find.

Street SmARTs Gallery now holds that hope for me.

Laying out the paintings to get an idea of the layout.

Matt getting ready to start hanging the paintings.

The paintings laid out getting ready for hanging.

Matt hanging the first couple of paintings.

The art exhibit in progress.

The completed wall!

The completed wall.

If you find yourself nearby, I would love for you to step into the quiet I stepped out of yesterday. Take your time. Let the walls talk. See what catches you off guard.

And if nothing else, know this. Behind every piece hanging neatly on a wall is an artist, a helper on a ladder, a gallery owner quietly supervising, and a wall that probably thinks it deserves an Oscar.

Stop by Street SmARTs Gallery and see the exhibit in person, your favorite piece might be waiting for you.

Thanks for reading The 3rd Flamingo, a blog for art lovers, creative wanderers, and anyone who’s ever made a beautiful mess.