Telluride Arts finds new home on Main Street | Arts & Entertainment

Some may have noticed the Telluride Arts District sign hanging near the beginning of Main Street above the former Hub space at 220 West Colorado Ave. and not at its normal post along Pacific Avenue. If the offseason move seems sudden it’s because it was.

Water damage recently forced Telluride Arts to find a temporary headquarters. Landing on Colorado Avenue, thanks to a connection made by local Realtor Rosie Cusack, was the best-case scenario for the organization, while it renovates the regular spot. Luckily, no artwork was lost during the mini-flood, facilities manager Jereb Carter explained.

“So from what we understand there was a pressure toilet in one of the units above our space that broke causing significant flooding to the two levels below it. We were extremely fortunate that Emily Ballou’s artwork that was on display did not suffer any damage. What was damaged was the ceiling the floors and inside of some of the walls, so it all had to come out,” he added.

The Telluride Arts folks, including Evan Tueller and Austin Halpern, immediately got to work clearing the space out and salvaging as much as they could, while searching for a new temporary home.

“As you can imagine, it was pretty frantic. First, we had to remove the art from the space, get pumps in there to start removing the standing water and try to prevent any damage to the galleries contents. Being the Telluride Arts team is in the middle of a massive fundraising effort for the Transfer Warehouse we recognize that we needed a place to operate out of ASAP,” Carter said. “We were aware that the old Hub space had been sitting empty for quite some time, and through local broker Rosie Cusack, we were able to reach out to the owners of the Pekkerine Building. They were extremely receptive to the fact that a local nonprofit needed a space immediately, and we were able to work out an arrangement with them.”

The timeline to return to Pacific Avenue isn’t exactly known at this point, he added, but it’s going to be a while. Who knows, the Main Street move may last longer than initially planned.

“You never know about the longevity of things in this community and on Main Street especially. We’re hoping that it works out for us to be in there for some time as the other space is going to take months repair,” Carter said, adding, “There are some great people in this community. We put out a call for help and they showed up. we were able to turn around and clean the space up and get the walls gallery ready within a couple weeks. Thanks to Jasper DuPont and Gus Gusciora for helping telluride arts get their new home ready.”

Ballou’s exhibit is still up at the new space for a couple of more weeks. Carter invited anyone and everyone to come by and check it out.

As for the Transfer Warehouse fundraiser effort, Telluride Arts Executive Director Kate Jones said the deadline is fast approaching and any support is welcomed and appreciated.

“The capital campaign is in full swing, with $12 million left to raise by October of this year; that’s the fundraising deadline determined by the town as part of the development agreements,” she said. “Despite the pushback from a few neighbors, who have caused delays, we just received our final design approval last week and are moving forward at a quick pace towards our goal. We need a swell of community support now, and welcome donations of any size for this iconic project.”

The Daily Planet will cover the latest Transfer Warehouse news in Friday’s edition. For more information about Telluride Arts, visit telluridearts.org.