creative placemaking

“My dream of opening a gallery would be impossible in NYC. Here in the Capital Region, there’s a feeling that people want to help each other. I didn’t see that in the city or while living in Hoboken,” said Cassie Fiorenza, Founder and Director of Collective 131, a new gallery in Saratoga Springs. “Here, there’s a mindset of, ‘what’s good for me is good for everyone else.'”

Fiorenza grew up in the Albany area, worked in a major gallery in Manhattan and lived in Hoboken, NJ, and then recently found her way up to Saratoga Springs. This is where she’s decided to open up her first gallery space, in the town’s Arts District on Beekman Street. “If I can bring people to Beekman Street, it’ll be good for the other galleries on the street.”

Representing Women in Art

While working in galleries in New York City, Cassie found that female artists were underrepresented. She observed that many male artists were repeatedly being featured in shows and galleries, while the same did not hold true for women.

As a response, Cassie curated an art show in Manhattan that exclusively featuring women artists. The response was wonderful. This inspired her to start Collective 131, which originated as an online gallery.

Cassie began by featuring the works of her friends and close network, but the platform quickly grew to include the works of artists from all over the country. The goal was to develop a platform of affordable, original art created by women.

A Brick and Mortar Space in Saratoga Springs

After an overwhelming outpouring of support for the online gallery, Cassie’s next step was to find a physical space to promote the art and mission of Collective 131. Cassie and her husband were living in Hoboken and starting to outgrow it. They were ready for a change.

When the pandemic emerged, they found it was a perfect time to make the move to CapNY. They landed in Saratoga Springs. They loved the bustling downtown area, the vibrant art scene, the restaurants, and the fact that it is surrounded by mountains and lakes.

Cassie joined Palette as a coworking member and with the support of other strong female entrepreneurs, she found a gallery space on Beekman Street, part of the Beekman Street Arts District.

One Million Residents

There are one million residents across the 8-counties of CapNY. Cassie said if she was able to reach all one million of them, she would use her platform to promote the creativity of the female artists she works with…to make the art world a more inclusive place for female talent. She feels the potential of this region is endless and hopes to expand her galleries to other places across CapNY.

Collective 131 opened on 74 Beekman St., Saratoga Springs on October 27th.

Connect with Collective 131!
Website
Address: 74 Beekman St., Saratoga Springs 12866
Phone: 518-339-0512
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