Newport, Rhode Island
August 9 - 11, 2025
In conjunction with House of Waves Newport, RI
This show began in May 2020 when Patrick Murphy and I put on “Bright UP, Slow DO” at his former gallery “The Kings Lens and Friends” in Newport, Rhode Island. In the dark and repressive early days of the pandemic, we found an alternate way to present the show–extending ourselves outside of the gallery into the world outside. We used the building’s exterior, the parking lot, and makeshift walls to present the work in a new context in conversation with the exterior environment and public spaces. The show was a revelation for us both–we connected the work to the broader public and community in a way we had not experienced before. While the Art World and its codes can be heavy, this felt light and enlivening. This is presentation as a medium.
Almost 4 years later to the day in May 2024 I put on the first Uhaul Gallery show–a group show of friends. Within the first hour of the first show, the same feeling of freedom and lightness came back to me–something I had not found yet within the “New York Art World.” Until that point I struggled to find my path amongst prohibitive studio rent, the squeeze of finances, and social codes that felt exclusive. In the UHaul I finally felt connected to the city–in dialogue with other artists as well as the broader public and the space of the city. It is a way to present work that feels open and generous. By placing ourselves on the street, we enact a sort of democratic art politics. Our door is always open, there is no back office, what you see is what you get.
As I return to live again in Rhode Island, this show represents a merging of communities that believe in this sort of presentation and ethos. A way to bring the UHaul Gallery back to a point of inspiration. It is a friends show, a way to lift one another up.
Levi Gentry
Babs Owen
Titus McBeath
Mary Sellers
Madeleine Young
Stephen Lau
Isabella Ferreira
Luc Hammond Thomas
Fili Latinakis
Buzz Smith
James Sundquist
Briana Sundquist