PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Archive Project Space opened in the thick of the pandemic and has been contributing to the artistic landscape of downtown Pittsfield since.

 

The gallery at 141 North St. opened in December with painter Roberto Juarez's exhibit "Ramona's Front Yard" and welcomed "TIme Motion" by photographer/videographer Ari Marcopoulos on Saturday.

 

"In the depths of the pandemic it was good," owner and artist James Casebere said about the gallery's first year. "It actually, at least, provided certain social connections, and people came up to see work from various places."

 

Archive is the front half of Casebere's studio at 141 North that he has inhabited since 2015. A 2019-20 Abigail Cohen Rome Prize Fellow, he was in the midst of his term at the American Academy in Rome studying architecture and sculpture when the COVID-19 pandemic forced him to return to his second home in Canaan, N.Y.

 

This is what inspired Casebere to open up the 1,000-foot gallery to the public, bringing a colorful and airy exhibition space to a corridor with many empty storefronts.  

 

Casebere will welcome a wide range of art including painting, architecture, drawing, sculpture, sound, film works, photography, and multiple disciplinary installations.

 

Ari Marcopoulos' exhibit "Time Motion" debuted at Archive on Saturday. The exhibit features large photographs and several films of friends, neighbors, strangers, light, and other things that Marcopoulos has observed in his travels.  

 

"I hope that people will come, check it out and see things through my eyes," he said.

 

The images are mainly from the last 14 months, as Marcopoulos was moved by the "strength and suffering" he saw in so many people during these unprecedented times. Also included are earlier images that "resonate with recent memories."

 

Having produced more than 200 books and limited edition zines, these photographs are a continuation of his bookmaking.

 

In the 1980s, Marcopoulos printed Andy Warhol's black and white photographs and captured images of artists and performers active in New York's downtown scene. He is said to have a way of portraying "subcultural style" in his images.

 

Marcopoulos also specializes in action shots of snowboarders and skateboarders.

 

"Time Motion" will be featured until the end of August and an exhibit showcasing the Yale University 2020 photography graduates' work curated by Sondra Perry will open in September.

 

Archive is open on Thursdays and Fridays from 2 to 5 and on Saturday from 11 to 5.