Middle Street Gallery back in Sperryville
The members of Middle Street Gallery have announced the gallery’s reopening — on Saturday, Nov. 5, just in time for the annual art tour (more on the other returning galleries on page B1). The new gallery will occupy three rooms above the Before & After espresso bar and wine cafe at 31 Main St. in Sperryville.
The nonprofit artists cooperative closed earlier this year when the facility it shared with River District Arts went on the market. It will celebrate its renaissance with a special art show called “New Beginning.”
Middle Street’s Gary Anthes shared the following handy Middle Street Gallery Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
Q: Are you part of Before & After?
A: No, but we will encourage the public to visit both the gallery and cafe for one-stop nourishment of body and soul.
Q: Did you consider other locations?
A: We looked as far away as Culpeper, Warrenton, and Marshall, but the members strongly wanted to remain in Rappahannock County.
Q: Why Sperryville?
A: The town has become a thriving arts center, with Haley Fine Art, the Glassworks Gallery, Oldway Art Center and Cottage Curator all nearby. Sperryville has become an especially popular weekend destination, and it's a convenient rest stop on the way to the Skyline Drive. It offers an eclectic mix of gift shops, antique stores, restaurants and sellers of wine, beer and whiskey.
Q: What kind of art will you offer?
A: Our 20 members will offer fine art paintings, drawings, sculpture, and photographs — the same things we have sold for many years.
Q: Why are you called Middle Street Gallery when you are on Main Street?
A: The gallery opened in 1983 on Middle Street in Little Washington. In two subsequent moves we have voted to keep our name, seeing it as an important legacy and a symbol of our long service to the local arts community.
Q: “Service to the arts community?”
A: The gallery is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization. As such, we reach out to area schools, to non-member artists and to other segments of the public. Two years ago we won a grant from the Claudia Mitchell Arts Fund for these activities.
Q: What are your hours?
A: Our autumn hours are 10 to 6 Friday-Sunday.
Q: It seems the coffee shop is not just for coffee anymore.
A: Before & After serves high-quality coffee and espresso drinks, local and international wines, locally sourced salads and breakfast and baked goods. The cafe will soon create a gourmet market next door (reportedly to be called During) where it will offer wine, cheese, meats, to-go sandwiches and food for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts.
Q: Can I buy a cup of coffee and a muffin at the cafe and bring it up to the gallery to eat while looking at the art?
A: Yes.