Gallery owner and artist John Brevard celebrated the opening of his brand-new space Brevards Gallery last night in the Wynwood Arts District area, but said his reception in the hip neighborhood hasn't been entirely warm.
"The gallery scene is something that I've just stepped in to, but it's very clique-y," the 27-year-old Miami native said Wednesday night.
"It get the, 'Who does this guy think he is opening a gallery in Wynwood?' For some people it is very accepted, and for others it isn't. That's been an interesting and fun thing about being in this area."
Brevard debuted his collection -- including his "Steal and Petrified Wood Series" sculptures and "Black and White Series" illustrations -- to a jam-packed room of businessmen, artists, musicians and other movers and shakers in Miami. The space, which Brevard anticipates will draw the same eclectic crowds the trendy Downtown area is known for, is set to be the new stop in Wynwood's monthly Art Walk.
"When you go to the Design District, it is very different," he said. "It's an area where people are pushing the boundaries -- anything goes here."
Also in attendance was William Renaurt, the owner of Downtown hole-in-the-wall club Electric Pickle, which recently rang in its one-year anniversary and has become a second home for Miami's hipsters. Renaurt admits the success of the gallery -- or any establishment in the Design District -- is contingent on whether or not it is accepted by the frequenters of the creative community.
"Unlike anywhere else down here [Miami], the artists drive this area," said Renuart. "You get the fancy gallery-hoppers, but they kind of love being around all the hipsters. They all feed off each other."
