Waverly Artists Gallery Closing in November
Cary, NC – After five years in Waverly Place, the Waverly Artists Group Studio and Gallery will be closing. In their short time, they have been voted as the best gallery in Cary, hosted more than 3000 guests and have made a significant impact in Cary’s art scene.
Five Years of Art
Gary Bradley, one of the founders of the Waverly Artists Group, said their lease is expiring but they knew back in 2011 when they started their lease that they would one day have to move out of their space in the shopping center.
“They’ve got a client that was able to pay the full ride and it’s a premium spot,” Bradley said. “But Waverly have been very gracious and generous with us.”
In their time, Bradley said, through the studio and gallery space, the members of the Waverly Artists Group have become better artists.
“My own personal passion is to rehumanize my world through beauty,” Bradley said. “I believe that through the arts and beauty, we can reshape our community and we’ve seen that.”
Among the contributions of the Waverly Artists Group Gallery have been the many workshops and classes they’ve held, many of which brought in nationally recognized painters and raised the notoriety of the gallery across the country.
“The classes started with just two people showing up and now they’ve exceeded our capacity,” Bradley said.
The gallery space has also been used to host art by not only Artist Group members but high school students and organizations such as NC Paint.
“Our average attendance to an open house or show is about 300 people,” Bradley said.
What’s Next
The Waverly Artists Group Studio and Gallery’s lease will expire on Saturday, November 19, 2016. Their official “farewell” event will be on Final Friday Art Loop on October 28 at 6 PM, showing works by Errol Engelbrecht and Beth Carrington Brown.
Bradley said there has been a sense of family in the Waverly Artists Group, more so than in other artist collectives he and other members have been apart of, and he said there are some plans for future events.
“What we will do is intend to look for opportunities to do arts appreciation events in a pop-up form,” he said.
But Bradley said it was unlikely they would open another retail gallery, as much as he said he would like to, because of the amount of time it takes and his personal time conflicts.
In the meantime, Bradley said the memberes will do workshops and hold open house events at Waverly’s Triangle Wine Store.
“And we’ll keep painting together,” he said. “That’s not going to stop.”
The Waverly Artists Group Studio and Gallery is located at 302 Colonades Way, Suite 209.
Story by Michael Papich. Photos courtesy of Gary Bradley and the Waverly Artists Group Studio and Gallery.
