Lockport welcomes Gallery Seven to growing art community

LOCKPORT – The city of Lockport welcomed Gallery Seven to town with announcements indicating officials see it as part of a growing art community in the city.

“Incrementally, art has become an important part of the fabric of downtown,” said Pam Owens, executive director of the Gaylord Building.

Gallery Seven is relocating to the Gaylord Building after losing its lease at the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet.

The longtime Joliet gallery will be supported by a partnership between the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which owns the Gaylord Building, the city of Lockport, and the Heritage Corridor Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The city of Lockport and Gaylord Building issued news releases Wednesday lauding Gallery Seven’s move to the city.

Owens noted that the opening of Gallery Seven in January coincides with the start of “unLOCK: Merging Art and Industry in Downtown Lockport.” The program, funded through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, aims to foster the use of community art to promote downtown economic development.

Also located in the Gaylord Building is the Artist Guild of Lockport, which is on the third floor. Gallery Seven is moving into the second floor.

A news release from the city of Lockport notes that the Illinois State Museum Lockport Gallery also is located nearby, along with the Flower of Life Art Gallery and the Wildwood Art Gallery.

“The Gaylord Building receives over 50,000 visitors a year and Gallery Seven will only enhance the experience of visiting Lockport,” the release said.

The Public Landing Restaurant also is located in the Gaylord Building.

Gallery Seven, which did not pay rent at the Rialto, will not pay rent for its first year in the Gaylord Building.

Rent for the gallery was discounted to $1,000 a month, Village Administrator Ben Benson said. The rent is being paid by the Heritage Corridor Convention and Visitors Bureau with funds provided by the city each year for marketing and other purposes.