Statement Pieces: A Departure from Neutrality this month will offer an exciting pop-up exhibition of paintings presented by the Miller Gallery. Featured artists on the gallery’s roster include Liv Antonecchia, Kate Hooray Osmond, Julia Deckman and more, as well as a number of invited guest artists.
After switching to an online-focused model at the end of 2022, the gallery will host its first exhibition of the year at Hed Hi Studio, 654 King St. This exhibition will mark the gallery’s largest to date.
The opening reception is on March 10 from 6-10 p.m. and features a live DJ. After the Friday night opening, Hed Hi will open its doors for limited viewing hours on March 11 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and March 12, 12-2 p.m.
Established in 2017, the Miller Gallery called East Bay Street home for five years before switching to a new model of online sales and pop-up exhibitions in November 2022.
“I just felt like it was time for a change,” said owner and founder Sarah Miller Gelber. “The plan is to host pop-up shows at different locations throughout the year, and keep the gallery’s presence mostly online.” Gelber said the move to online sales helps potential buyers by giving them a low-pressure way to consider buying a work of art.
“I feel, even as someone that admires art, sometimes I still feel uncomfortable walking into an art gallery,” Gelber said. “Sometimes it just feels stuffy, almost as if they’re doing you a favor by being open and showing you artwork.”
The gallery has uploaded its entire inventory online, with listed prices, close-up detail shots and even videos of some works. (No intimidating “inquire for price” stickers here.) Appointments can also be made to view artwork in person at the new Miller Gallery headquarters on Meeting Street.
“The art buying process, it’s personal. And it’s not meant to be something that’s intimidating. We want to make purchasing an original piece of art easy and accessible,” Gelber said.
The gallery represents 27 artists, a large majority of whom are female and working in the Southeast. Gelber said the reason she wanted to open her own gallery five years ago was to create a place for contemporary abstract artists, mixed media artists, and female artists.
“I wanted there to be a place for artists to feel freedom to really express themselves in a way that maybe doesn’t feel ‘Charleston.’ We as a city are known for a little bit more traditional artwork, lots of landscapes and marsh scenes, birds, wild fowl, that kind of stuff. And I love that, but there’s more to art in Charleston than just those subjects — the Hed Hi exhibition will show that.”
After the opening weekend, the exhibition will be available to view and purchase online at themillergallery.com.
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