Friday night Gush Gallery opened its doors. During dusk hours on the otherwise quiet 5000 block of Baltimore Avenue, warm yellow light and dozens of people spilled into the streets. People were here to see Gush’s first show, Embark, which features a number of lesser known artists from around Philadelphia.

The crowd had a punk feel and included artists, art lovers, neighbors and family. Interesting pieces included a skull reconstructed with crochet, a light shaded with faux bones, an image of a row home floating in a lake with bass swimming underneath, and a set of cherished family items sewn firmly into felt, reminiscent of bugs in a spider web.

A year long buildup came before Friday night. It started with a casual conversation between two Pratt classmates, Stephanie Slate and Sarah Thielke. Next came an Indiegogo campaign bolstered by an active Facebook and Tumblr feed. Plans had the gallery opening in 2015 but a Craigslist discovery of an old barbershop at a great price in a prime location accelerated the schedule.

Now that Gush is open (5015 Baltimore Ave, T-F 1-8 p.m., S-S 12-6 p.m.), the owners hope to maintain their business not just through the sale of art, consignment and T-shirts. They also offer by-the-hour use of a high quality workstation, scanner and printer. More events will come too, including art classes, and group critiques.

Stephanie and Sarah are very eager to invigorate the West Philadelphia art community. They hope to collaborate with other West Philly artist hubs such as the Gold Standard Cafe, and Soapbox Gallery. They would love to bring First Fridays out west as well. In the words of Stephanie, “We totally want people to come in and say ‘Hey I’m an artist’ and hang out. We want to see their work and we want to show their work.”

– Selah Lynch

Photos by Selah Lynch / West Philly Local.