The entrance to S.P.A.C.E. Gallery in the Soda Plant
After seven years of operation, the Backspace Gallery, which is part of the S.P.A.C.E. Gallery, is closing up shop.
As Seven Daysrecently reported, the Soda Plant, which houses both galleries, will absorb the space and repurpose Backspace as a production facility for Conant Metal and Light, located in the same building on Pine Street in Burlington's South End Arts District. The creative lighting and metalwork company's owner, Steve Conant, also owns the Soda Plant. Many of the displaced artists from Backspace will relocate to the S.P.A.C.E. Gallery. Backspace officially closes its doors on Monday, June 5.
The galleries' founder and studio manager, Christy Mitchell, has been hosting live events semi-regularly at Backspace since its inception in 2010.
"We're losing a huge room," says Mitchell recently by phone. "[It's] been an asset to us, but also to Burlington in general to have a space that is accessible that's not a bar or club. It's an art gallery, so you can do things that are a little bit different."
To celebrate its tenure, Mitchell throws one final blowout at the Backspace Gallery on Saturday, June 3. Entitled Seven Year Itch, the event features an eclectic mix of live music, performance art and DJ sets.
To stimulate your other senses, the olfactory sorcerers from Alice & the Magician will provide "scent landscaping" to accompany an exhibition from mixed-media artist Alex Costantino.
Mitchell hopes to find a new space to continue her efforts in the realm of live, performance-based art.
"I think my next project will be an event space that has a similar vibe," she says. "I definitely see it in my future — I just don't know where yet."
The party starts at 9 p.m. For more information, check out the event page on Facebook.
Bio:
Jordan Adams joined Seven Days as music editor in 2016. In 2021, he became an arts and culture staff writer. He's won awards from the Vermont Press Association and the New England Newspaper and Press Association.
Since 2014, Seven Days has allowed readers to comment on all stories posted on our website. While we’ve appreciated the suggestions and insights, the time has come to shut them down — at least temporarily.
While we champion free speech, facts are a matter of life and death during the coronavirus pandemic, and right now Seven Days is prioritizing the production of responsible journalism over moderating online debates between readers.
The fun, creative content isn't going away, it's just moving to different spots on the website. Now you can head to the Arts + Life, Music or On Screen sections in between weekly issues for everything we write about arts and culture, whether it was in print or not.