Open Possibilities: Tri-Chromatic Gallery opens the possibility of play in art
by Monica Barber
It’s hard to walk through the streets of Modesto these days without seeing an image of art. The Art community in Modesto has grown extensively in the last few years. The newest offering is Tri-Chromatic Gallery created by local artists Brook Heathcoat, Chelsea Addison Torres Bavaro also known as Chelsea America and Zoe Toscano.
Tri-Chromatic Gallery hosted a winter soft opening in January entitled Walls that featured a temporary art installation. The interactive design provided a space that attendees could participate with and elicit an emotional response. Not only was it a success, it was quite transformative for visitors and owners of the space.
It’s a late afternoon on a Tuesday when I’m able to drop in and visit with the owners of the space. Brook greets me at the gallery and has her daughter, Ariyah in tow. The energy in the gallery is on high with canvases and wires everywhere preparing for the next show, Blush. As I’m admiring the space Brook catches up to her little one and says to me, “It’s great, we kind of instantly fell in love the space,” before continuing to tell me about the collectively joining of forces to form a gallery space.
Knowing each other for years, they found themselves looking for new studio spaces. After renting separate spaces, Brook, a video and spatial artist in her own right & a masseuse, Chelsea, a visual and performance artist & Zoe, visual and design artist, they decided it would be beneficial to collaborate on a space where they could play host to much more than art. They’ve got this nurturing family part of their lives that keeps them grounded and wanted to bring it into a gallery space as well as the community.
According to Brook “the gallery represents an open possibility of art & creativity; to the play of things can or could happen” within the space. Aside from Solo and Collaborative Art shows they look to be more in the community. Thus far the gallery has begun hosting what they term ‘Real Life Yoga’, a space that welcomes the children and working parents, hosting ‘The Writer’s Studio’ a new reading series and upcoming art night or class based gallery events. Additionally in March they will be taking over hosting the Craft Grab from Preservation Coffee. The event will be the first Friday evening of every month from 5-9pm starting March 3rd. At the moment private viewings of the gallery and Heathcoat’s massage services are by appointment only.
The conversation continues as we’re sitting in their vintage furnished loft with a 1970s inspired sofa piece the space is filled with light, art and furniture. We’re discussing the art as much more than a commercial entity and it’s quite possible they’re some of the coolest human beings in the city for undertaking such a refreshing enterprise in Modesto.
Despite their ubiquitous work as artists, Brook Heathcoat, Chelsea America and Zoe Toscano and are hoping to change the kind of art that people are comfortable with. Professionally branding themselves as Tri-Chromatic Gallery separate from their own work, they look to be a diverse voice in the art community without crossing over into commercialism. “We need to be the push,” Chelsea says “the goal is to become a space where people can walk in and be moved by what they are seeing. The art they will see here will be something that pushes you to think; To question why it is art.”
Their new show Blush definitely falls under those requirements. Blush, according to Chelsea it’s a nod to the environment and human nature. Through the accessible and often revealing nature of life things awaken within ourselves and it’s that idea of the blossoming and burgeoning feeling that is quite expressive in their recent collection of images, some of are quite challenging and indeed will titillate the senses enough to bring about a blush to the skin.
It may seem an ambitious dream, but Brook, Chelsea, and Zoe have a juggernaut of people rooting for them. The trio inspires gushy praise not just for their work and devotion to each other but for their hosting skills, their design taste, their generous openness and their charm. They are the loveliest people, and the notion of a new diverse art space in Modesto has people literally just jumping up and down. The trio of Tri-Chromatic Gallery is much more than their talent and professionalism, they inspire a loyalty which is rare in the insular world of art.
The newest show Blush opens up today at Tri-Chromatic Gallery as a part of The Third Thursday Art Walk in Downtown Modesto. Contact the gallery for more information: 559-381-8645. 1321 J Street. Modesto, CA 95354
