The Union Art Studios and Gallery

    The Union Art Studios and Gallery – Third Annual Open House

by Sylvia Cerri-Bartels 

Catty-corner to the Old City Cemetery, northwest of downtown Jacksonville, Florida, stands an abandoned industrial warehouse with about ten bays where trains used to pull up to load their wares. When I pull into the ample entrance of the site, the confusing array of vehicles indicates that parking is implied on an anemic looking field of grass. While walking towards the building, I am pleasantly surprised by an energetic coming and going of people from two entrances, one large one small, at the third bay. A few small groups of people with animated expressions stand around on a heightened platform chatting, laughing, and enjoying some beverages. The mood is quite jovial and I cannot wait to go inside. This work and show place for local artist is called The Union Art Studios and Gallery, or the Union for short, and its members are holding their third annual open house. 

The Union Art Studios and Gallery

A variety of creative businesses and artists have moved into this historic and iconic Union Terminal Warehouse Company building after years of abandonment and disrepair. The Union Terminal Warehouse Company was the largest industrial building for decades in Jacksonville from 1922 until around 1976. This complex building was constructed with reinforced concrete and steel and is a multi-floor structure with an adjacent railway siding, which is still visible, and subways, now mostly flooded. In was designed with pre-1920s state-of-the-art sprinkler system, high power industrial elevators, interior phone system, and even a railway restaurant. The initial purpose of this building was to function as a wholesale distribution center for grocery firms. More than thirty wholesale companies used to operate their goods storage and transport from here, including Whiddon’s Cash Stores and Libby, McNeill & Libby (now Nestle). Eventually, rubber tires companies like Dunlap, non-food retail, and financial businesses were housed there too. There was even a paper manufacturing business called Knight Brothers Paper Company. The railway connections ran to the St. Johns River Terminal and goods went via water freight to New York and other cities. These days, the Warehouse has been rehabilitated and has the exciting new purpose of housing small businesses and creative entrepreneurs of various callings and the Union co-op occupies bay 3b. As I walk up, I see a small chalkboard sign on the former railway platform inviting me to go inside to satisfy my curiosity about the studio, explore the work environment of the artists, and enjoy the art.

The Union Terminal Warehouse Company 1949

Remains of the tracks

The Union is the newest artist studio and gallery in the complex soon to be called the Union House. In the fall of 2012, photographer Tammy McKinley, who had recently translocated to Jacksonville, searched for studio space and called out for like-minded artists to share work space. In February of 2013, a group of painters, illustrators and photographers took over an existing unit at the Warehouse. These artists not only share atelier space but also artistic camaraderie and they help each other prosper in their businesses with leads, marketing opportunities, and recommendations. The Union is “Jacksonville’s dirty little secret,” says McKinley jokingly, meaning that everybody knows and at the same time doesn’t know about this inspiring place and that the Union House is about to emerge as the next Art District. It gives the city an exciting new venue for art lovers to experience the work of some of the best up-and-coming creative talent. This cooperation, or co-op in art jargon, gives local emerging artists freedom to work according to their own needs and purposes. Each artist has his or her own private studio space to retreat to and has access to the larger common areas, which motivate and inspire these creative minds to collaborate. The artists can host individual or collective workshops and classes, entertain clients and collectors, or just hang out for fun. 

High Power Industrial Elevator

            

Richly decorated money toilet

          The industrial elevator sounds like a “chorus of angels,” says McKinley proudly and I agree that it makes a lot of impressively industrial noises. Fortunately, it transports me quite smoothly to the second floor. Exiting this formidable steampunk car, I immediately see the token money toilet, richly decorated with silver, bling, and fur. Continuing into the factory atmosphere with a smile, I quickly scan the layout and decide to walk counter-clockwise around the corridors created by studios around the outside wall and two rows of individual studios in the center. All the walls are painted white to emulate gallery walls and are abundantly showing a vast variety of art. Skipping the appetizing offer of fresh hors d’oeuvres and drinks for now, I see work by the latest member, Trib LaPrade, owner of and photographer with the Spaghetti Kitchen Studio, who displays people in a beautiful and profoundly human and often emotional way. We exchange a few pleasantries and he tells me about his work. Walking on, I come across a small studio where an artist is working on spray-paint art, I see displays of large oil paintings with colorful nudes, digitally designed and painted abstracts, exciting photography, pen and ink surrealism, graphite and watercolor with pencil portraiture, futuristic and dreamy landscapes. In the far left corner is a workshop with bench and power tools for communal use. In the center aisle is an inviting array of mismatched easy chairs and sofas where many visitors are animatedly conversing with each other, enjoying their appetizers, or talking to host-artists. In the very back three gallery panels display the edgy metro and sometimes politically laden photography by Tammy McKinley.

Exciting new art

           

Communal areas for socializing

           Tammy McKinley is the founding principle of The Union Art Studios and Gallery. She was raised in Lexington, Kentucky and a graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design for photography. After some freelance work and exhibitions in various in galleries, worked for the independent film, “Swimming”, and was the photo editor of Yikes! Magazine, a photojournalist for The Richmond Register, and a photojournalist for newspapers in Kentucky, New Mexico, Alabama. Tammy developed a unique vision that merges fine art principles with reality based storytelling. Her work has been well published and awarded. Some of the photographs that are on display today, like an image with a woman in a scarlet dress entwining herself with an almost black tree, remind me of dark Edgar Allan Poe stories. Another image, showing a nude woman entangled in a spider web, screams symbolism. The most politically laden photograph shows a woman’s torso painted in stars and stripes and a hand grabbing her “by the pussy” in between her legs from behind. Tammy and her fellow artists at the Union organize an open house every year since their conception to raise awareness of their co-op, the incredible art being created, and the talent of the artist-members. Their goal is to grow their art output and entice art lovers to visit. They intend to expand their work space in the next year and attract more artists who desire to work among like-minded creatively gifted people and become a flourishing part of the brand new Art District of Jacksonville. I am looking forward to write their next chapter.

Center aisle at the Union

Grab em by the Pussy

Participating artists (in no particular order):

Matt Harper, Trib LaPrade, Brittany Churchill, Ronnie Caballero, Allison Tschaekofske, Minda Bachelor, Rob Hardin, Ellin Iselin, Tammy McKinley, Brandon Pourch, Angela Magpusao.

For more Information: www.unionartstudios.com

Sources:

Cerri-Bartels, Sylvia. Photographs for this article.

Chapman, David. “Union House would turn Downtown warehouse into 260 lofts, space           for creative class”. Daily Record. 30 Sept., 2015. Web.

Davis, Ennis. Photographs for Metro Jacksonville. www.metrojacksonville.com

McKinley, Tammy. Photography. www.tmckinleyphotography.com

Pickrell, Kristen. ”The Story Behind The Union Terminal Warehouse Company”. Metro             Jacksonville. 29 Oct, 2014. Web.