Catherine Wagley
Long, narrow, angled and charmingly ornate, the room occupied by the artist-run space Vacancy used to be a hotel lobby. In the 1920s, the arched concierge window was actually functional, though the wood paneling probably looks as tasteful now as it did then. Alison Edmark and Christopher Adler, who live and work in the rooms that open off the former lobby, were interested in mining the space's history when they staged their first exhibition there in January. That show looked lushly hospitable, with marbled paint on floors and faux fireplaces against white walls. Each exhibition since has transformed the space into a new kind of environment. At one point the walls were lined with vertical blinds; another time, the whole space was painted gray. All shows have always been collaborative, based on conversations among small groups of artists. This seems an ideal use of a lobby, a space meant to be communal.
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