LINCOLN PARK — Robin B Gallery sought to help emerging artists when it opened in the fall, but it hasn't seen the same support from patrons in the neighborhood.
The gallery closed Sunday after just nine months in business at 1123 W. Armitage Ave.
A lack of foot traffic on the block, a brutal winter and the closing of three neighboring businesses proved too much for the gallery, according to owner Robin Bartelman.
"I've got 50 artists under contract that I represented and more than anything I feel horrible for them," Bartelman said. "They depend on people like myself to open small places so their work can be seen."
Bartelman opened the gallery with the idea of giving artists who might normally work the art fair circuit a chance to show their work in a gallery.
Opening the gallery was her dream after spending 30 years working in commercial architecture and interior design.
"The reality is that the only way small businesses like the gallery can remain open is for the community to support them by buying local," Bartelman wrote in a statement announcing the closure. "While many people enjoy art, artists and galleries alike cannot survive by the admiration of work."
In the past month two neighboring businesses closed: the baby boutique Urbababy and high-end consignment shop Millionaire Rejects.
"When those two closed I realized I'm fighting a losing battle trying to get people over here," Bartelman said.
Although Robin B Gallery is officially closed to the public, the owner still controls the space until 2018 and is considering holding pop-up shows as well as events if another business doesn't pick up the lease.
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