Jos Ruks, Board President for Constellation Gallery.

By Carol McCracken  (Post # 2,137)

The Constellation Art Collective, in the midst of Portland’s downtown arts district, has announced it’s looking for a new home.  Located at 511 Congress Street, it is Portland’s only non-profit art gallery-collective.

The Board recently learned that the entire building in which it occupies one ground-floor suite, was sold to Ed Gardner, of Ocean Gateway Realty.  Gardner informed the Collective that it must move when  he is able to locate a new tenant for that space.  He will give them 30 days notice before it has to go.

Founder of the Gallery, city councilor David Marshall, was able to work out a financial arrangement with the previous owner that was unique.  The Collective paid “only a   percentage of any sales to the landlord for occupying the space year round.  It didn’t bring in enough to pay the rent.”

“We are going to form a Search Committee in the near future – a committee  who will actively look for a new home for us,” said Jos Ruks, President of the Board.   “It won’t be easy, though.” Ruks is an engineer, from Holland, who now makes clever mobiles and more. http://www.papersails.net  “The arts used to be subsizied, but now things have changed.  In hard financial times, education and the arts are the first to go,” he said.

Three years ago former owner and artist Marshall sold the Constellation Gallery to the Art Collective for $1. Marshall has consistently reduced  his involvement at the Collection – particularly this spring when he moved his studio to his home on the West End.  It appears that none of his paintings remain at the Gallery.

If you can accommodate the needs of this Art Collective, please feel free to get in touch with them