Temporary Art Gallery Transforms Corinth Street Storefont

ROSLINDALE, MA — It took a long-delayed reunion, some bad luck and just the right timing to transform a vacant storefront into a vibrant art gallery on Corinth Street.

The AurorA.2A gallery paint and sculpture exhibition pops up this Thursday and runs through Dec. 23 at 2A Corinth St., next door to Sebastian's Barbershop.

First, the reunion.

Gregory Steinsieck is a sculptor and retired art teacher who has a studio not so far away from his alma mater, Newton South High School.

At his 43rd high school reunion, he reconnected with Alan Kaplan, a friend with whom he shares a birthday and had known since kindergarten. A Steinsieck tells it, they hung out at his workshop often enough that Kaplan decided to pursue an interest in sculpting. Steinsieck was more than willing to lead the way.

"I love it, and I love to teach people. They can really go places if they have this kind of imagination and passion to discover ideas," he said.

And Kaplan has that imagination in spades. Steinsieck praises the "sense of humor, color, energy" in his friend's work. Soon, Kaplan and Steinsieck began to develop a body of work together. What they didn't have was a space to display it.

Thanks to a little bad luck, that changed.

Anthony Giordano and his brother-in-law Guy Ragusa, of Sebastian's, signed the papers to take ownership of the barbershop and its adjoining buildings along Corinth Street in December of last year.

Barely two months later, a car crashed into the building.

It wasn't a lot of damage, Giordano said, but enough to break a window and spur a host of smaller issues. Since then, the storefront has sat empty, despite multiple attempts to rent it out.

Enter the good timing.

Giordano was looking for a renter; Kaplan and Steinsieck were looking for a place to showcase their work.

While dining out in Roslindale Square, Steinsieck said they noticed 2A Corinth Street, "this beautiful, small space."

Kaplan got Giordano's email off a poster out front, and within a few weeks of reaching out, the gallery came together. Watercolor painter Mary Gilfus also joined the group, and will be showcasing her paintings, as well.

The artists, true to their profession and passion, have transformed the space, repainting 2A and installing lights to spotlight their work.

"This started off as kind of a rough space, but we've attacked it... put days of work into it," Steinsieck said.

His hope is for a welcoming space that will draw in the community. In pursuit of that mission, they've endeavored to make their pieces affordable. They settled on the name AurorA.2A "because it's kind of a dawn of presenting our project to the public," Steinsieck said.

For Giordano, it's a chance to bring the space back to life.

"It creates a buzz," he said. "Rather than having a dingy storefront, now there's bright lights, colorful pieces of art."

As they prepped for the opening, he said many people have already poked their heads in to see what's happening. If everything goes as planned, there will be many more visitors to come.

AurorA.2A hosts its opening celebrations Thursday and Friday from 6-9 p.m.

Photos courtesy Anthony Giordano