I’m sitting with the four emerging artistic entrepreneurs of Whippersnapper Gallery, inside an empty bar on a Saturday afternoon. The Midtown, located just steps away from the Whippersnapper student gallery at College and Clinton, is the gang’s Cheers. Patrick Struys and Luke Correia-Damude, 22-year-old gallery founders, high school friends and roommates, work and DJ there. And Jessie Hayes and Chris Altorf-a pair better known as the U of T photobloggers Istoica, practically have to venture there on a regular basis to conduct gallery business.
Whippersnapper’s first home was at Front and Sherbourne, a 5,000 sq. foot area temporary artistic showcase about to be sold to someone else. When someone else nabbed the space, Struys and Correia-Damude found themselves back to where they started-with no gallery, and no future in sight for the two young whippersnappers.
Determined to keep a good thing going, they searched for various locations and came across the current location-an angular 2,500 free space atop the Chinadoll bar (occasionally techno music will rise from the checkered tiles). With fundraisers and favors from friends, a revitalized Whippersnapper was created and a new dawn in the age of accessible space for emerging artists was born.
“When we moved to College Street, I remember signing the lease and thinking for sure that we were going to go bankrupt. And I was okay with that,” said Damude.
“And I said, how about we follow this business model, and it will work,” Struys chips in.
“And I was all up for going bankrupt.”
“And I wasn’t. Because all the accounts are under my name.”
“So we changed that. So now we both go down.”
“Still the corporation’s under my name,” Struys added.
“Right, but now it’s going well, so things are cool,” Correia-Damude concluded.
The gallery’s mantra has always been about providing affordable, accessible space for emerging artists. Everyone works on a volunteer basis. Paying the rent is the foremost thought for the gallery owners, instead of raking in the dough. As Correia-Damude said, “It’s a space for art, not for egos.”
And also for parties, plays, fashion shows, indie rock and other artistic shenanigans. Since the gallery opened in 2006, it has played host to an extremely successful Fake New Year’s Masquerade held a month before NYE (part of the tri-monthly “Bizarre Celebrations” fundraisers for the gallery), performances of Beckett, photo shoots involving live animals and transvestites (not at the same time), and a monthly all-ages show where Japanther, Henry Faberge and the Adorables, and Calgary’s Chad Van Galen have all taken the stage. During Nuit Blanche, the gallery hosted a 24-hour art show involving 20 different artists, ranging from performance art to Istoica’s portraiture to video installation.
“It was a real summer camp kind of vibe. Usually the people you’re sitting beside you end up talking to, and it gets crazier as the night goes on,” explained Luke.
“There was one girl who stood for the whole time painting. I don’t think she stopped once,” recalled Altorf.
“She went to the bathroom once and that was it,” Struys corroborated. “And at three o’clock in the morning, we had these two guys come in off the street intoxicated.”
“The only way that they could stay was if they made art. So we drew this box on the floor and we made them both stand in the square, as a performance piece. And if they wanted a beer, not only did they have to pay for it, they had to stand in the box for half an hour. And then they got in a fight,” explained Correia-Damude
Altorf and Hayes met Struys and Correia-Damude through a mutual friend. Initially complete strangers, the group now has a camaraderie that feels totally organic.
“Jessie and Altorf live together, work together, ride the same bicycles. And Patrick and I are roommates, and now are working together,” said Correia-Damude.
“What we should’ve done is get girlfriends before we started this gallery, because now all we see is each other. Which is fine for Chris and Jessie.”
“You think the dynamic would be weird. … It should be weird,” Hayes muses.
Correia-Damude cuts in. “But this is more than a business. Because we don’t get paid, the only reason we’re doing it is because we like it. So it’s a different kind of mentality. It’s emotional currency. We’re getting paid in like, gratification,” he said. “It’s actually funny. The other day this girl who was hanging out in the gallery asked me, “So where do you like, sleep?” And I had to say, “Oh, I don’t live here.” A lot of people think it’s like our apartment.”
The folks at Whippersnapper are also emerging artists and students themselves. Correia-Damude, a fourth-year film student at Ryerson, just wrapped his thesis project. Struys, who’s been taking pictures for three years, studies cinema at U of T with Altorf and Hayes. They’re so ridiculously busy that the gallery really is a huge labour of love.
“Sometimes people come to us and say, “Whippersnapper should be free for people like us.” And what they don’t understand is that we are the people like you.
“That’s what we’re here for. Just because you haven’t exhibited doesn’t mean you’re not an artist. And we understand that,” said Struys.
“The label of ‘artist’ doesn’t really exist at Whippersnapper. It’s what we’re trying to get away from. If you’re doing something artistic, it’s because you’re compelled to do it. It’s not a status thing,” added Correia-Damude.
For everyone, the experience of getting a space, promoting it and connecting with fellow friends has been an eye-opening one, and a great example of what you can do when you put your mind to it.
“That’s the coolest thing about it.” Correia-Damude raved. “The only people responsible for Whippersnapper existing are us. We renovated it, we built a business plan, and every step of the way is because of something that we did. So it’s a really awesome feeling, as well as a total testament to the fact that if you want to do something, you can do it.”
“I built two walls in the gallery, one with a door! You can do anything,” enthused Struys.
WHIPPERSNAPPER HAPPENINGS
1) ALL CAPS! Indie rock night – Once a month on a Sunday, check out a great all-ages show for $5 organized by Ryan McLaren organizer of Wavelength.
2) Broke Bastard Mounting – The group exhibit will feature multimedia work from a wide field of hot young artists. Don’t worry about a rental fee, this one’s on the house. Accepting submissions until March 1st. See www.whippersnapper.ca for details.
3) Bizarre Celebrations Whippersnapper’s crazy good trimonthly fundraiser, named after an Of Montreal lyric. Word of the street is that the next celebration will involve birthday hats and a cake of the oversized variety.
