CSU Stanislaus to Open Downtown Turlock Art Gallery, Student Studios

Chris Machado/TurlockCityNews.com

California State University Stanislaus will open a permanent art gallery on Downtown Turlock’s Main Street by early May, the university has confirmed.

The gallery, to be located in the former JCPenney building across the street from the Dust Bowl Brewing Co. Tap Room, will be known as “The Art Space on Main.” It will house an art gallery and studios for Bachelor of Fine Arts students.

CSU Stanislaus Art Department Chair Roxanne Robbin says the goal of Art Space on Main is “to serve the university and surrounding community through a changing and diverse exhibition program of artistic significance and cultural relevance.

“The Art Space on Main will feature changing exhibitions similar to those in the University Art Gallery, ranging from internationally known artists to the works of our own students,” she said. “We hope to grow with the community and to become an integral part of Downtown Turlock. We believe that opening the Art Space on Main will bring us closer to our mission by engaging the community more directly.”

The art studios will be known as “The Lofts of the BFA,” and will offer spaces for the university’s most advanced art studio students. They will have dedicated spaces where they can pursue the challenging work of becoming independent artists with their own artistic vision. This is an unusual opportunity for students at the undergraduate level, and distinguishes CSU Stanislaus as a premiere school for the study of art, Robbin said.

Robbin says that at this point art will not be for sale to the general public, however it is likely that in the future shows may feature art for sale to benefit art students.

The Building Imagination Center, which was formerly housed in Downtown Modesto, will also move to the space. The Building Imagination Center is a center for both video production and exhibitions for Central Valley community groups and graduate and alumni movie makers. The space also presents an opportunity to promote video production in Turlock and Modesto.

More information is expected on the new gallery and studios when an official opening day is announced.