Batavia art center plans outdoor exhibits

BATAVIA – A downtown Batavia art studio and exhibition hall is reimagining how it will display its creations in a COVID-19 world.

Water Street Studios is seeking to establish an outdoor art gallery directly in front of the building it occupies at 160 S. Water St.

Art center Director Taylor Egan plans to take advantage of the retaining wall that runs along Water Street between the roadway and the building for the display of artwork.

Egan, who was named Water Street’s new director just six weeks ago, told the Batavia City Council on Monday that the coronavirus pandemic is presenting the art center with the same difficulties as any other business.

“The challenge is delivering on our mission to make the arts accessible,” Egan told the council.

The studio and its artists are uniquely positioned to help provide the public with imagery that can create community conversations, Egan said.

“Art is so central to what we need. This is a time when we need it most,” Egan said. “COVID forces us to reevaluate public art.”

Pointing to the proliferation of outdoor dining and other innovations to deal with the realities of the pandemic, Egan said the art center needs to do the same.

“Batavia has done a phenomenal job of reimagining the city landscape,” Egan said.

Between the retaining wall and the art center’s building façade is a sunken alleyway which Egan plans to transform into a courtyard for visitors to view and appreciate works of art.

“It has real potential,” Egan said.

Aldermen reacted enthusiastically to Egan’s plan, voting unanimously to permit the retaining wall to be used for the displays.

Studios for 25 resident artists along with expansive gallery space are housed inside the historic limestone structure.

Normally, the interior space is jammed with art lovers for the opening of new exhibitions and artist receptions, but the center currently is limiting the number of visitors to 20 people at one time, Egan said.

Egan, of Geneva, already has leadership experience in dealing with the effects of the pandemic. She is the president of the Geneva School Board.

Egan has an undergraduate degree in art history from DePaul University.

The art center leases the building from Batavia’s BEI Properties, which is headquartered just around the corner on First Street.

Water Street Studios is open from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.