Boxes of yarn, paint, frames, tiles and tissue papers are looking for a new home as are the many artists that gather and sell their creations.
As of February 29, the Wheaton Arts Parade Gallery will no longer be in Westfield Wheaton mall. After seven years, mall management declined to renew the group’s lease.
While mainly known as the group that sponsors the annual Wheaton Arts Parade and those huge floats, the gallery features art shows and programs for children and has become the place for artists to gather. Wheaton Arts also is the group behind the painted storefront displays and the brightly colored pyramids in downtown Wheaton.
The management office didn’t respond to a request to speak with MCM about that decision, but Arts Parade Executive Director Dan Thompson stressed that the mall has been very good to them in the past. They only pay about $100 a month for the large space that used to be a Ruby Tuesday’s restaurant.
Thompson, founder of the Wheaton Arts Parade, thanked the mall for its help and contributions to the annual parade. But he also questioned why, with several empty store fronts, the gallery couldn’t remain at the mall.
He noted that the space will need a lot of work before a new tenant can move in. He showed MCM the contraption he devised to collect the water that regularly flows down from the ceiling from the above mall food court and exterior walls and windows while wondering if perhaps, he had complained too often.
There is no question in either Thompson or Gallery Manager Paige Friedman’s minds that the group will continue to be welcoming to artists.
But they have yet to find a new location that they can afford. Meanwhile, some of the children’s free art classes and displays by artists will adorn the nearby Wheaton recreation center and library.
As for seven years of supplies, they currently are either being donated to teachers and artists or being stowed in a rental storage space, which Friedman pointed out cost more than the rent paid at the mall.
Besides searching for a new home, the Wheaton Arts Parade members vow to hold its 8th annual festival in late September with a street art market, live entertainment and lots of crocheted designs from its Yarn Bomb.
Free artmaking workshops for families begin at the Wheaton Library on Sunday.
A board member shared with MCM some emails the group has received since the closing date was announced.
One artist wrote, “The loss of the Gallery is really a great loss to the whole arts community.” Another wrote, “Such sad news and sorry to hear of it! I know the gallery was a lovely resource to both the art community and the community as a whole.”
