New Life in the North Loop

The Wyman Building on 1st Avenue, where Thomas Barry Fine Arts had its first home, used to be part of a thriving downtown arts community. But that was before the Target Center moved in. Then the gallery moved to the Wymand Building on North 5th Street and stuck to its fourth-floor space—until being displaced early this past summer to make way for corporate office space. But you won’t find gallery owner and namesake Thomas Barry lamenting the end of an era.

Barry and his gallery have moved to a lower-level space in the burgeoning North Loop neighborhood. The new space is about 1,500 square feet, roughly the same size as the old one, but more open. “It’s the first gallery I’ve ever had with natural light,” Barry says. With its exposed beams and ducts and high, paned windows, the character of the building itself figures into the feeling of the space.

Perhaps most exciting for Barry is his gallery’s new location. “The North Loop is exactly what I’m comfortable in and energized by,” he says. The neighborhood runs along Washington Avenue from Hennepin north to 9th Avenue and features a mix of residences, businesses, and cultural venues that are similar to what the gallery’s former neighborhood used to be, he adds.

That feeling of being part of a living, breathing community makes all the difference to Barry, who brings the same sensibility to the way he runs his gallery. He likes to work closely with artists and clients—to build relationships and stay close to the art-making process—which is one of the reasons the gallery focuses on contemporary work from artists based in the Upper Midwest.

The first show in the new spot features pieces by Ana Lois–Borzi, a Twin Cities–based artist born in Argentina. Lois–Borzi, who brings together sculpture, drawing, and other elements to create art-infused environments, designed the show specifically for the new space—a fitting inauguration. Through late Oct. 530 N. 3rd St., Mpls., 612-338-3656

Reach Stephanie Xenos at stephaniexenos@yahoo.com.