Eliana Gorden ‘24 is an aspiring artist who has been a prominent face in the USN art scene for years. This winter, however, Gorden wanted to display her work beyond our walls.
“I’ve always wanted to have a gallery because I have a pretty big body of work, and I like showing it a lot,” Gorden said.
The show was held over winter break as part of the Wedgewood-Houston (WEHO) Art Crawl. Gorden showcased her work in Halcyon Bike Shop’s new store, which is currently closed for renovations. The store took a pause in their renovation process to host the gallery. Gorden, who works at the bike shop, gave some of her own touch-ups to the shop in preparation for the show.
Prior to the show, the location was in pretty rough shape.
“That space, it’s just a warehouse. … it was very gray, sad, and gross. I was sick the week before the gallery, so I did all the prep in three days. I had a couple of people help me, like my boss and my family,” Gorden said. “We painted the walls white, and there was a staircase that led down to a really scary basement. We patched up that hole in the ground.”
Xavier Warren ‘24 was a visitor to the art show and is a close friend of Gorden. Warren was impressed by the decor within the gallery.
“The urban setting, combined with the exquisite decoration, resulted in an overall aura conducive to appreciating and evaluating the art,” said Warren.
Gorden’s work is primarily composed of two types of pieces: prints and charcoal. Lots of her work is inspired by artists like Frida Kahlo who specialize in surrealism. Gorden has shared many pieces of her work through social media. However, she believes that her work is best understood when viewed as a whole instead of as individual pieces.
“I think about the way that I make my art through series, and that lends itself really well to galleries. So, all of the printmaking pieces I make are very closely related, and they’re all part of the same narrative, or idea, or story,” Gorden said. “The charcoal pieces that I make are also very tied into that. So, I wanted to have a space where I could show everything together.”
Warren certainly noticed the difference in the viewing experience.
“While I had experienced all the pieces before in isolation, to see them compiled together, juxtaposed against one another, created an entirely new and holistic feeling towards the artwork of Eliana,” Warren said.
Fellow students weren’t the only ones in attendance at the gallery. The show was attended by many strangers whom Gorden had never met. The WEHO Art Crawl drew people from all over to view Gorden’s work. WEHO is an event that takes place on the first Saturday of every month where people involved in the Nashville art scene walk from gallery to gallery in the Wedgewood-Houston area.
“I liked talking to the strangers because they had a lot of really interesting questions,” Gorden said.
Many teachers also came to support Gorden’s inaugural gallery. What started off as support for a student ended with teachers feeling enraptured by Gorden’s works. Among these teachers was high school math teacher Cynthia Crenshaw.
“[The gallery] was so much Eliana created. The fact that she got the gallery prepped for the event. She painted the walls, she drew creative things on the ceiling tiles, and people were excited, happy, and supportive,” Crenshaw said.
Now that Gorden’s first gallery has been closed for a few weeks, she has had some time to consider her experience.
“I really loved doing it, and I’m very grateful for everyone who came out to support me,” Gorden said. “It’s nice to feel that the community is seeing, hearing, and supporting my art.”
