After five years in a rented retail storefront downtown, Hangar Art Company is getting a fresh start at a new location across town.
“It's bittersweet,” owner Santino Lamancusa said.
Lamancusa said every resident artist who displayed work in their previous gallery has agreed to move into the new space at 3 Towanda Service Drive. Lamancusa is planning to replace the HVAC system and take down the walls and ceilings, creating a main gallery that maintains the former Hangar’s industrial vibe and has the capacity to house large artworks like those contributed by Tom Kirk, Aianna Zachary, Kevin Strandberg and Herb Eaton.
“We're really excited about the opportunity here. And, not to mention our own parking lot,” Lamancusa said.
The move to a stand-alone building near Towanda Plaza is a change of venue Lamancusa hopes will drive more traffic to Hangar, not less. The former Dance Factory near a vacant shopping center won’t draw the same foot traffic as downtown, but Lamancusa says his high-visibility location near Towanda Ave. and Empire St. makes them a destination that isn’t as reliant on other businesses and galleries.
“We aren't necessarily going to be part of the crowd anymore,” Lamancusa said of leaving downtown Bloomington, which has a gallery on every corner. “But we'll be able to do complimentary events that support the arts and all of the downtown community.”
Instead of First Fridays, Lamancusa is looking at Tuesday nights for openings. Customers driving-through the Bloom Coffee stand nearby have already taken notice. He plans to commission a muralist to deck out the building’s concrete exterior. And now being within the Enterprise Zone, he’s exploring programs and tax incentives available to business owners improving the currently underdeveloped area.
“The first time, when we rebuilt the first Hangar, that was something I didn't have access to, or I didn't know that I could have accessed,” he said. “So going into it this time, I think we're more prepared to find the help that's out there for us to really build this into something great.”
In addition to the main gallery of resident artists, the building’s additional square footage will allow for a second gallery featuring a monthly rotation of exhibitions, plus the Hangar’s signature hang-out space with a pool table. There’s a loading dock, extra space for a workshop, custom frame shop and, eventually, a wide-format print shop—a nod to the Hangar’s original location in the former Half Hazard Press.
The goal is not only to add revenue to the Hangar’s bottom line—they only take 35% of all art sold in the gallery—but to provide affordable services for artists.
“The level of support that we'll be able to offer artists in conjunction with not just showing and selling their work, but helping them create it at a much more economical rate—that's what we're gearing up for,” he said. “I think the combination of all of those things under one roof in a pretty accessible space hopefully should see a whole new audience brought down here.”
The Hangar expects a soft opening by the end of the year.
Courtney Conroy contributed.
