Arts Movement Invigorates South End Development
Stamford, CT (PRWEB) August 29, 2013 -- As part of the contemporary art movement and community development they have generated in the city, the Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery proudly announces a partnership with Building and Land Technology, one of the area’s most game-changing real estate developers, to launch “Sprouting Spaces 1.”
“Sprouting Spaces 1” serves as a platform for the entirety of Stamford, its surrounding communities, its growing tourist industry, and the plethora of professionals who live and travel to the region. The purpose of the program is to take a street level commercial space at 100 Washington Boulevard and transform it into an active studio for the next 12 months. The space will house contemporary painter William Nelson, one of the Gallery’s exceptional professional artists.
Both the Gallery and BLT recognize the dialogue that art generates, as well as the barriers it eliminates. This is why “Sprouting Spaces 1” is more than just an art studio; it is a way to unite the community through a shared creative experience and conversation as the population comes out to view Nelson’s work, engage with his personality and narrative, and see the space in a new and interesting light.
“BLT has courageously and innovatively transformed Stamford’s South End,” says Alvarez. “With innovation of this caliber, there undoubtedly come friends and foes. Yet, in the long term, BLT will provide something that benefits the community at large. So, it is through Sprouting Spaces that we wanted to create that dialogue now, in a space where it can be represented from all sides. By establishing our Sprouting Spaces program in the South End, we invite the entire city to be a part of that bridge between North, South, West, East, and Downtown Stamford. We invite all to become one through the arts.”
Gallery artist Nelson, of Redding, will occupy the space for the next several months. There, he will work on large format pieces in the new studio’s ample space, “I anticipate the opportunity to extend my medium; to create works of a scale that I have not otherwise been able to accomplish.”
Sprouting Spaces 1 is set to open on Friday, September 27th with a launch party from 6 to 9pm at Nelson’s space (100 Washington). BLT’s CEO, Carl Kuehner, expressed his support for the program, stating, “We understand the value that the arts bring to the South End, and sought to partner with a gallery that was just as forward-thinking as our company. Alvarez came in with a winning mindset that perfectly aligned with what we are accomplishing through our development. We are excited to offer the space to the artists, and continue our support in enriching the city’s cultural landscape.”
About Building and Land Technology (BLT)
Building and Land Technology (BLT) is a privately held, vertically integrated, mixed use real estate development, property management and private equity firm (http://www.bltoffice.com). BLT was founded in 1982 and has developed, owned and managed over five million square feet of commercial space and over 5,000 residential units. BLT office holdings include the corporate headquarters for Gen Re, GE Commercial Finance, Diageo, GE Real Estate, Xerox, GE Energy, Design Within Reach, Kayak Software, AON/Hewitt, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, and Structured Portfolio Management. BLT’s numerous office parks, apartment complexes, single family subdivisions, common interest communities and adaptive reuse projects total in excess of 8,000,000 square feet of development throughout Fairfield County. BLT is also the developer of Harbor Point, a transformative mixed-use development in Stamford, CT. One of the largest redevelopments on the eastern seaboard, Harbor Point encompasses an entire neighborhood, with more than 4,000 residential units and several million square feet of commercial development. BLT’s holdings include more than 100 active real estate companies, a majority interest in William Pitt Sotheby’s residential brokerage firm with 28 offices and 1,100 agents, a mortgage and insurance company as well as numerous private equity investments.
About William Nelson
William Nelson is an expressive, lyrical contemporary painter whose exploration of technique defines the creative vision and scope of his work. With pieces that play with color and form, he celebrates the various eccentricities of the human body and coerces expression from each brushstroke. By combining various colors, each piece becomes dynamic and interesting, as though the artist finds a certain amount of humor in the subjects he paints. Nelson holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and an MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City, where he has taught and lectured. His work can be found in private collections throughout the United States. Recent exhibitions include Be(come) A Collector at the Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery, UNABASHED the Portrait and Figure at Dacia Gallery NYC, Condition X at the SVA Westside Gallery, and April Fools at The Nest Gallery. He lived in New York City for 20 years before moving to Connecticut in 2005. His studio work consists mostly of large-scale figurative oil paintings.
About the Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery
The Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery is located on Bedford Street in Stamford that recently earned a citation from the State of Connecticut as one of the nation’s most innovative contemporary art galleries. With over 5,000 sq. feet of space, the gallery produces upwards of ten shows each year, from a stable of international, career artists. Established in 2008 by Fernando Luis Alvarez, the gallery is committed to building careers of emerging and established contemporary artists from the doors in, and building community from the doors out. Current artists exhibiting in the gallery include Helen Frankenthaler, Robert Longo, Louise Fishman, Robert Rauschenberg, Frank Stella, Robert Motherwell, Jim Dine, Sean Scully, John J. Bedoya, Rex Prescott Walden, Robert Wilson, Silvestre Preciado and Damla T. Faro who will be featured in Sotheby’s upcoming Turkish, Arab, and Iranian contemporary art auction.
Nicole Zinna, BLT Business Centers, http://www.bltbusinesscenters.com, 203-644-1572, [email protected]
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