The following story ran in The Sun on 12/1/2000:
Artists finally get chance to show off works at opening
By JASON LEFFERTS
Sun Staff
LOWELL -- Meet Ted Lavash, the man who passed up Hawaii for Lowell to spend his retirement.
After working for 22 years for Honeywell Corp. and living in Waltham, Lavash was ready for a change. Last night, looking across the crowded artists' gallery at the Ayer Lofts and seeing his paintings hanging on the walls, Lavash was glad he chose canals and mill buildings over pineapples and macadamia nuts.
"I saw this place a little over a year ago, and when I saw this place I loved it. It has a little bit of Boston in it and some New York, too," Lavash said. "(The artists' gallery) is one of the main features that made me decide to buy here. It's a tremendous idea."
Last night, the gallery opened as a public space for residents of the lofts to show off and sell their art work. The lofts opened to tenants in August, and after having four months to paint, sculpt and draw, last night they were able to show off their work at home.
According to artists with more time in the business than Lavash, who dropped his corporate veneer for his paint brush just in the last year, the gallery is something of a newfangled idea. Most artists communities don't have the common space that the Ayer Lofts have.
"I think it's very unique, and because we're an art community, it makes sense that we would have a place to show our work," said Gary Kenner, an Ayer Lofts resident.
The 51 units in the old mill building were snapped up earlier this year by buyers both in and out of the art world. Artists like Kenner and Lavash share the remodeled building with non-art folks like Lowell National Historic Park spokeswoman Audrey Ambersino.ambrosino?
The gallery, which is on the first floor, will be the public showcase for artists to show off their work. Last night, about a dozen artists showed off their paintings, drawings, sculptures and even necklaces to an opening-night crowd of the city's art community and public officials.
Residents said they expect every artist will get a chance to put his or her work in the gallery, and some hope to expand their showcases to downtown restaurants and businesses.
Mandy Sheer, a resident who had small framed paintings on display last night, said the artists' colony will keep tabs on who has work in the room.
"I think we'll probably have a committee and come up with a calendar and maybe invite other people, but we'll probably keep it inside and take turns ourselves," Sheer said.
Potential buyers will be able to come into the gallery, select a work, and then find the name of the artist, the work, and a phone number for the artist. They then can go just outside to the entryway of the building, where they can call and see if the artist is home.
For the artists, there is comfort in knowing they always have a place to show their work. Deborah Donnelly didn't consider moving to Hawaii, but like Lavash, she was sold on the Ayer Lofts and the gallery.
"That's one of the reasons I came here. You don't have to worry about getting a piece in. It's always going to be there," she said.
Jason Lefferts' e-mail address is jlefferts@lowellsun.com.
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