by: Lauren Hodges

Thrive Studios
Artists studios available!
6622 Gordon Road
www.myspace.com/thrivestudiosnc
Info on leasing: thrivestudios@gmail.com

Though the local art scene is spoken of in a singular sense, there are actually several communities and neighborhoods that make up the city’s kinetic entity. Just like in any creative city, the scene tends to spawn sub-cultures and clubs where Wilmington’s vast collection of artistic talent can find a like-minded second family on which to rely. The groups learn from and lean on each other, sharing ideas, spaces and opportunities.

A young, developing artist might find it a comfort to join one of these sub-communities to receive encouragement and stimulation, identifying him or herself with those of similar medium, friends or in many cases studio space. Art houses in Wilmington, such as ACME and the Wabi-Sabi Warehouse, boast a variety of local talent within their walls, giving their tenants space to create, collaborate and even hold exhibits for their work. Starting this month another location will be added to the options available for artists to hang their hats.

“We are currently seeking artists to fill our new studio spaces,” Gaeten Lowrie, owner and operator of the brand-spankin’-new Thrive Studios, says. “It is in Gordon Station on Gordon Road, just a few blocks from Market Street.”

As of today the collective includes Lowrie and fellow artist Scott Ehrhart. Locals will recognize Lowrie from his shows at Artfuel and his distinctive stained glass-like technique with ink. His wildly colorful piece “The Serpent and the Sparrow” was featured on the cover on encore in 2007 when he was named one of the three “artists to watch” in upcoming years. Indeed, his latest project is something to observe. With this new venture, he has proven himself an activist in the local art scene, opening the space for future “artists to watch” and the next wave of emerging creative talent. What remains available is seven spots in the 1,200 square-foot warehouse, which is divided into nine studio spaces with a front showroom and a common work area.

“Because of Thrive’s unique modular design, all interior walls can be rearranged to increase gallery floor and wallspace nearly five-fold, allowing us to host temporary monumental gallery exhibitions,” Lowrie explains of the space’s potential. “The gallery plans to go public for our first exhibition sometime in August/September, depending on how much funding we get.”

Thrive was originally created to invite folks with truly original ideas to gather and create openly. Here would be a space to push boundaries and reinvent concepts, where such activity would be encouraged without judgement or opposition. “Conceptually, Thrive is an open platform for the incubation and execution of new, groundbreaking and evolving forms of visual art,” Lowrie continues. “As artists we are tired of searching for acceptable means of promoting our art. We firmly believe this area is starving for more conducive intermediaries between artists and the creatively conscious community. Thrive is that vital intermediary.”

Lowrie says that all artists are welcome to join the space, but what he truly hopes for is artistic evolution—the next generation of creation coming together within the Thrive walls. In Lowrie’s vision the studio space exists to uncover buried treasure in the Port City. “While Thrive welcomes all media and genres of visual art, from unknown to celebrated artists, we cannot deny that much of the local ‘undiscovered’ talent is pioneering a new realm of creation, generating brilliant underground, lowbrow and pop-surrealism art. This is our future: the hip, the new, the edgy, the progressive and provocative.”