Jim and Carrie Garland opened Nepenthe Gallery in 2022.
In early August, Nepenthe Gallery, now behind the pastry shop in the Hollin Hall Shopping Center, will move to a prominent corner spot with windows facing both Fort Hunt and Shenandoah Roads, a space formerly occupied by Wells Fargo Bank.
“This will give us more visibility,” said Carrie Garland recently, imagining art in the three big windows facing Fort Hunt Road that pedestrians and drivers passing by will easily see. She has co-owned and managed the gallery and frame shop with her husband, Jim, the framer, since 2022.
The New Space
The new gallery will be 30 percent larger than the current space and have moveable walls and much more light. The Garlands will be able to display more sculpture and Carrie’s hoping to get an elephant sculpture from the Great Elephant Migration, an artisans’ group in southern India who make elephant sculptures from dried lantana plants fitted around a steel rebar frame. They sculpt life-size cows (females), bulls (males), tuskers (male elephants with tusks) and calves.
The first show in Nepenthe’s new space, opening Aug. 6, will be works by Alexandria artist Kim Richards, who paints landscapes in the plein-air style and still life scenes.
Why a Gallery?
Carrie says she grew up “with art all around.” Her parents collected 19th century American art and her mother was a docent at the National Gallery of Art for over 40 years. After the couple’s four children grew up, they decided they wanted to manage a community business and after considering several options, settled on an art gallery.
They considered opening a gallery in Washington’s Georgetown or in Old Town Alexandria, but opted to be close to their home in Mount Vernon’s Riverside subdivision. “I like being in the fabric of the community,” she said. “This is a community that appreciates art.”
“We want people to walk in and feel uplifted. Art should not be off putting,” she offered. The gallery’s name, Nepenthe, fittingly means “a place of no sorrow” in Greek.
Almost every Thursday the Garlands host “Art+Wine+Cheese” and the community shows up, from 40 to 100 people who commingle and enjoy art. Some of the Thursday events also feature music or books. They’ve had over 200 of these gatherings since opening.
She credits social media largely with steering artists her way, like Hunt Flonem, a New York City artist. She’s sold 25 of his works and is currently displaying his distinctive rabbits. The smallest one, eight inches by ten inches, goes for $8,000.
Call to Artists
The Garlands have announced a “call to artists” for a fall exhibit titled "Alexandria Experience,” original artworks that “reflect the artist’s reverence and/or affection for Alexandria.” Artists do not have to live in Alexandria and can submit one piece of art. Email a digital image to carrie@nepenthegallery.com by Aug. 1.
Carrie and Jim were high school sweethearts at Thomas Edison High School. Jim oversees the gallery’s frame shop which will move to a spot behind the Village Hardware.
They are eager for the community to come in to see more uplifting art.