The Magnificent 7
By Kate Arcieri
January/February 2008
excerpted
A Real Exhibitionist
Andrea Pollan is always looking to offer Washingtonians a glimpse into the next wave of art. She simply chooses to present these big ideas in a very small space. Pollan's Curator's Office (1515 14th St., NW; 202/360-2573; www.curatorsoffice.com) is dwarfed by neighbors G Fine Arts, Adamson Gallery and Hemphill Fine Art. But Pollan has turned her mere 240 square feet into one of the hottest art spots in D.C., where an interactive experience is unavoidable. "Clearly, I can’t hide in a back room," says Pollan, whose visitors like that the gallery’s size inspires conversations.
"I never intended it to be a commercial gallery," she says. "I thought from time to time I would exhibit artists but that it would really be an office from which I would do curatorial work for other organizations." But support from the art community—and the fact that people were actually buying the avant-garde art she displayed—spurred Pollan on. Since then she's hosted an eclectic range of installations in innovative media—architecture, wallpaper, video.
In January, Pollan will mount an examination of contemporary portraiture, with 15 artists depicting local art collector Philip Barlow. February will find prints of airport terminals from around the world by Charles Cohan, then a series of extreme close-ups of the body by Jason Horo witz. And while she's open to curating exhibits off-site, Pollan denies plans to move to a gallery with a larger footprint. Her 240 will fit her next big finds just fine.