Opening Of Clara Francis Gallery Raises Profile Harlem Art Scene
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A new art gallery has opened in Harlem, in another step in the development of Harlem into a gallery district.
As WCBS 880's John Metaxas reported, Harlem residents already appreciate the art in the brand new Clara Francis Gallery on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard.
"Simplistic, but at the same time powerful with it -- the colors, the vibrancy, the textures," said founder Bernard Rubie.
Rubie said the gallery also presents opportunities.
"It's like, you don't really have to go down town to actually see good works of art," he said.
Rubie said his gallery has a mission – to provide a venue for local artists and a dream to find "the next big artist of America."
The opening of the gallery featured the first solo show for 26-year-old artist Haile King Rubie, whose expressive works are all the more remarkable because he was born with Down syndrome.
The neighborhood is still a long way from replacing Chelsea or parts of Brooklyn as the epicenter of the city's art scene, but Harlem is now home to about a dozen galleries. Two more big-name galleries are expected this fall.
The growth of the gallery scene is just one of a number of changes that have come to Harlem in recent years, including an influx of fancier restaurants, costlier apartments and wealthier residents.
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