Snap! Space gallery closing at Orlando’s Cameo Theatre

After six years, the Snap! Orlando gallery at the Cameo Theater is shutting down.

Patrick and Holly Kahn, who run Snap! Orlando, said there were practical reasons for leaving the space — rising rent, a changing view of art galleries in light of coronavirus restrictions — but also creative ones.

“We’re constantly reinventing and reinvigorating,” said Holly Kahn. “We never want to have that feeling what we do is a formula. This is a turning point; there are many stories yet to be told.”

The gallery, known as Snap! Space, was just one of the endeavors by the Kahns, who are celebrating their 10th year on the Central Florida art scene — a milestone that caused them to reevaluate their priorities.

Specializing in photography and contemporary mixed-media art, they made their mark with large-scale pop-up events before taking over the Cameo space in 2014.

Established in 1940 as a movie theater, the historic Cameo was later used as office space and a concert hall.

In May, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer saluted the couple’s decade in Orlando, with a special nod to their work in improving the Cameo’s neighborhood.

“Your dedication to our community not only shows through your success, but also through your support of our Mills 50 Main Street District,” Dyer wrote. “You should also be proud of the role that you have both played in our vibrant arts and cultural scene.”

Gallery fans also acknowledged the work the Kahns had done and how the Cameo refurbishment helped create the neighborhood’s vibe.

“Sad news for the Mills 50 District and surrounding neighborhoods,” wrote photographer Billy Kidd on the Snap! Orlando Facebook page.

When the Kahns began renting the space, the East Colonial Drive neighborhood in the Mills 50 district was up-andcoming.

But as the area improved, rents increased dramatically, they said.

At the same time, after six years — and the opening of other gallery space downtown, which will continue to operate — the Kahns’ creative spirit was getting restless. They began thinking about how to focus more on the art, not the structure.

“We have to be responsible,” Patrick Kahn said. “We want to put our money in our programming, not our walls.”

To that effect, the Kahns see all of Orlando as their canvas. Their citywide

“City Unseen” augmented-reality art project will continue.

In addition, they have collaborations in the works with museums around Florida, including the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center in Maitland. New board members are joining the nonprofit with an eye on educational opportunities with local colleges, they said.

The fallout from the coronavirus pandemic also influenced their decision.

“The gallery concept has to be rethought,” Patrick Kahn said. “There aren’t going to be openings like we had before; it’s going to be different. When you have 50 people at a time, it’s not the same feeling as when you have 200.”

With the emphasis on social distancing, the Kahns are looking at smaller pop-up happenings, rather than the large-scale events they have staged in the past.

“With our network, we can do a lot of exciting things,” Patrick Kahn said.

“It is bittersweet … we had great memories and we loved being in there,” he added as he reflected on leaving the Cameo. “We knew this would be the end of a chapter, but we’re ready to open a new chapter.”