History

Andrew (Dad) writes:

The newly renovated “Moore Family Gallery'' first opened in the Summer of 1990 as a gallery for Andrew Moore. The shell of the structure was built by Ray Bilodeaux and his crew of two, with Andrew working alongside to help keep costs down and progress up. 

After the shell and the main outside deck were completed, Andrew took over, contracting out the electrical and insulation, but doing the finish work himself. 

Looking back to the gallery’s construction, there were many humorous and incredibly stressful moments. It was built on a shoestring budget and, like many projects on Martha’s Vineyard in those days (and today), friends in different trades helped out. I remember having the money to pay for Ray’s work but not enough to pay Cottles for all the materials used. I was hoping to make enough sales that Summer to pay them off. Meanwhile, the gallery had a long way to go in July of 1990 for the Grand Opening August 18th and I had already sent out a stack of invitations. 

I remember driving back from Boston with the parts to the spiral staircase stuffed into my pick up, the stair’s central pole sticking out of the back. Terrified that it wouldn’t fit, it was a great relief when it did, as it was the only route to the lower level gallery. 

Next there was a 600 pound glass block skylight that had to get from the driveway to the roof, there becoming a feature of the main upstairs gallery space. I had a cookout and invited Gary Harcourt, his brother Glenn and one other guy (just had a small favor to ask before the burgers!). We then carried the skylight into the building and essentially lifted it up the twelve feet, in 2 foot increments, each time bracing it with temporary scaffolding. During the last foot, we almost couldn’t lift it any further, but Glenn gave a Gladiator-like war cry and we pressed it overhead,  through the rough frame opening in the roof and slid boards under it to keep it from falling back down.

Meanwhile, with a week to go, I failed the final electrical inspection because we had not put a light in for the staircase. My electrician was a friend of my Dad’s from Newburyport and he couldn’t return immediately to resolve the problem....5 days or so to the opening, so I just had to open with no occupancy permit and hope for the best. Meanwhile, I was working late into the  night framing the paintings. The night before the opening, Bob Doran, a longtime friend and  patron from West Chop, came over and helped me hang and price the work. I don’t think I went  to bed that night. 

The following day, the gallery had its first opening, was well attended, and within a few days I had sold just enough work to pay Cottles. That was fortunate, as the building inspector closed the building the following week after reading a glowing review about the new gallery by Gerry Kelley in the MV Times. A week later, I had installed the missing light, got the CO, paid off Cottles and there began a smoother twenty five year period of running the Gallery. 

This original building featured a beautiful buff-colored linen stretched over the gallery walls with cherry trim, milled by Gary Harcourt, around the doors, windows and as baseboard and crown molding. Andrew had seen the linen at the Koe Kerr Gallery in Manhattan while attending the opening of one of Kib Bramhall’s shows. 

Running your own gallery is a mixed blessing. On the plus side, I could have my work shown all year round, curate my exhibits, and have each show hanging intact for up to two months in a really nice space. Additionally, I was also able to build really satisfying relationships with patrons who would visit year after year. In the past five years, and prior to the 1990 opening  of this Gallery, I had a wonderful relationship with the Granary Gallery. I am very grateful for  their work on my behalf. 

The idea to renovate and reopen my gallery as the Moore Family Gallery became more of a reality when both of my children, Hannah and Gordon, had clearly become artists in their own right. Hannah is a painter and Gordon a ceramicist. How exciting and interesting it would be to run our own gallery…a gallery of three artists from the same family whose lives and work are intimately connected to the Vineyard. So, thirty years later, and after almost six months of repair and renovations, The Moore Family Gallery has been launched and it’s looking better than ever. 

Please come visit!