When Rob and Michele DeLong ventured downtown for the
celebrated Old Capitol Art Fair, they saw something that sparked their
interest: a “For Lease” sign. After some thinking, the married
photographers decided to take down the sign and replace it with their own,
advertising the RMD Gallery. The 2,000-square-foot art space and framing studio on
the bustling 200 block of South Sixth Street opened for business in July,
displaying both Rob’s and Michele’s works on the canary-yellow
walls of the gallery. In October, they decided to expand from only showing
their own work to displaying local artists’ collections in an
“artist of the month” display. The decision stemmed from the
couple’s aspiration to help other local artists get exposure in the
community, Rob says. Right now the works of Robert Johnson, a watercolor
artist who lives in Taylorville, are displayed in a large area at the
gallery. The DeLongs don’t take a percentage from sales of local
artists’ work, nor do they charge to display it. Excitement about the
opportunity to exhibit in Springfield’s newest gallery has caught on.
“The response has been phenomenal, “ Rob
says. “Artists come in on a daily basis wanting to be
featured.”
Next month the DeLongs plan to host an opening
reception in honor of chalk artist David Cooper, the subject of their next
featured exhibition, and the couple, both members of the Professional
Picture Framers Association, also say that they hope to host framing
classes. The ideas don’t stop there, though. “We are thinking about doing art contests with
area schools,” says Michele, a District 186 music teacher. “We
would like to give opportunities for some of the kids to get out and
display their work.”
Rob, a Springfield native, says that he and Michele
enjoy being part of the area and working with other downtown merchants who
share their interest in making downtown what it used to be. “This is becoming an art community,” Rob
says. “All of us have come together at the right time.”
RMD Gallery, located at 210 S. Sixth St.
(217-525-4006), is open 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon., Tue., Thu., and Fri.; 10
a.m.-7 p.m. Wed.; and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat.
This article appears in Oct 20-26, 2005.
