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Art Space
The Gallery by Wish ATL opens in Little Five Points
By Isadora Pennington
It’s a rainy Saturday night in early February and the sidewalks of Little Five Points are
teeming with pedestrians. One area in particular is busier than the others, with crowds
nearly overflowing into the street for the opening night of The Gallery by Wish ATL.
Excitement is in the air as visitors wait their turn to get inside and see the work of legendary
street art photographer Martha Cooper.
The Gallery is a new concept by Wish ATL, the popular streetwear and sneaker retailer
which is located just steps away on Moreland Avenue.
“The Gallery was an idea for an extension of our business to fully invest in the creatives
within our community,” explained Julie FFogg, managing director of Wish ATL. The
clientele that frequent the retailer are an inherently creative bunch, and those behind the
scenes have been infusing art into their space through the use of store design and branding.
“We wanted to give our store customer an outlet to see, touch, feel and learn about artists,
both new and established, that are of interest to them,” said FFogg.
When 42 Degrees South, a gift shop that featured tobacco accessories and glass art,
recently shuttered its doors for good in 2017, the management team at Wish knew
immediately that this was the time to strike. “When we learned of the space opening up, it
was a natural decision,” FFogg continued. “We want our customers to flow freely between
the store and gallery, attending events for both entities.”
The Gallery’s new mananger and curator is a well-known name in the city’s art
community: Monica Campana, executive director and co-founder of the Living Walls street
art conference.
“This would not have happened if they had not wanted to have a space to cater to their
creative community,” Campana said of the management at Wish ATL. “Art is a big part of
their DNA, and they were trying to see what that would look like.”
Established in 2009, Living Walls has become an Atlanta institution, bringing national
and even international attention to the city’s artists and community. “I feel very grateful
that I have been able to develop relationships with really incredible artists over the past
eight or nine years. That’s one of the aspects that I bring to the space,” she said.
At the time, there were some exciting new art happenings in the city, with small galleries
such as Beep Beep and Young Blood (which is now known as Young Blood Boutique and
no longer offers a gallery) providing a much needed outlet for up and coming artists. “To
see some of those spaces that meant so much to me and were such big staples go away, it
kinda sucked,” Campana said. “Which is why I think this space is very exciting to me — to
be able to bring something to this neighborhood.”
These days there are a number of both established and new art spaces throughout
the city, all of which serve a function within the community as hubs for artists and art
lovers. Campana is excited to be able to aid and be a part of the local art scene with her
contributions at The Gallery, bringing a highlight to Little Five Points specifically.
While Campana has been a longtime supporter of the local art scene, she admits that at
times she has felt underrepresented amidst the overwhelmingly Caucasian crowds that who
frequent art events in the city, and she aims to shake that up by featuring diverse artists and
contentious subject matter touching on topics such as immigrants rights and the #MeToo
movement.
Since accepting the role of curator and gallery manager in October, Campana has been
plotting and planning exhibitions
throughout the coming year,
and says she aims to have a new
exhibition each month. There is
plenty of room for growth within
The Gallery, as Campana and the
team at Wish ATL are actively
defining the space and its role
within the community as they go.
“It is a brand new business
that we are creating here, and
that’s also what’s making it exciting. It is very new for all of us,” Campana explained.
The Gallery by Wish is located at 453 Moreland Ave. and is open noon to 7 p.m.
Wednesday through Sunday. For more information, visit wishatl.com. [d
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March 2018 | INtOWfl 49