Victoria Long and company are making magic in their new little artspace, Thanky: the kind of magic that wows you, leaves you with a headful of ideas to ponder, and disappears into thin air. Thanky’s a temporary gallery, a year-long project that opened its doors this past August—12 months and 12 shows is the idea—based on Victoria’s vision of high-energy, high-quality curating. The lineup is impressive, and definitely offers Richmond some otherwise unreachable art. These folks have been shown at places like the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney, Deitch Projects…to give you an idea of what it’s all about, here are a few highlights (but don’t forget to check the calendar at http://www.thankyspace.com for the full monthly list!):
 
November. This month’s show, Technicomfort, opens on the 7th; the ultra-bright, candylike works of Andrew Jeffrey Wright, Dearraindrop, Megan Whitmarsh and Leif Goldberg (amongst a bunch of others) pack a serious punch. Plan on taking in a taste of nearly every medium in existence—the artists developing this eye-popping style don’t stick to classic materials. Oh, and Japanther’s playing the opening. And there are free cupcakes.
 
December. Foodist Colony. Travis Robertson’s benefit for the Central Virginia Food Bank. A group show and a really great idea: you can get amazing art in exchange for canned goods!
 
January ’09. Sister Corita. Okay, see this if you can’t make it to anything else. Come out in the blizzard for this. Sister Corita was a radical Catholic nun with a jones for screen printing; she taught art at the Immaculate Heart College in the ‘60s despite having to occasionally censor her work (subversive tendencies aren’t taken lightly at nun school…?) Thanky’s got some of her pieces on loan from the convent. Victoria notes, “Her work really resonates with us and reflects the whole mission of Thanky: to be positive and get inspired.”
 
May ’09. Ron Rege, Jr. If Chris Ware is noting this guy as one of the greatest new cartoonists, I’m so there. He rarely shows work, but his comic Skibber Bee-Bye is brilliant—totally sympathetic, real-world stories, except with elephants and flying eyeballs. AND he’s the drummer for L.A.’s amazing folk-pop ensemble Lavender Diamond.
 
August ’09. Elvis Studio. Swiss duo Helge Reumann and Xavier Robel craft crazy, dense little cities together, packed with colors and characters, kind of like Where’s Waldo? but cheeky and smart and 30 feet long. They do other fun stuff, too, like posters and toys and record covers. Definitely a good ending for Thanky’s vivid dream.

ThankySpace
http://www.thankyspace.com
407 Brook Road
814.3585