(crowd talking) - [Joe] If you can imagine putting 17 rambunctious sort of artists who had varying amounts of love for each other in a room.

(Emily laughing) - [Emily] Exactly.

(jazz music) - I think in some ways this is going to sound funny but in some ways I think the mission statement was to cause a little trouble, be on the edge, and be a place where new things would be seen and if they were a little outrageous that would be better.

There had been some censorship issues in the city and we really wanted to have a place where freedom of expression would go on unchecked and also a place where the newest and the most exciting art could be shown.

- We also wanted to have a space to show our own work and see things we'd never seen before.

(jazz music) Joe and I were the kind of building... What would you say?

We were the hound dogs looking around for a different, for a space to call our home.

And we found a spot down in Shockoe Bottom at 1708 East Main which is where the name came from, 1708.

(jazz music) It had been through a flood.

The last thing it was was a gym.

It still had showers in the back room there so we thought that it could be fun.

- [Joe] As I remember the, well you could actually see on the walls, you could see the water level and unfortunately they were all artists so we were all fools with tools and went down there and, (Emily laughing) and took it apart and put it back together.

- [Tom] Of course we went through two more of them before we moved up to higher ground.

- [Joe] The openings were huge.

We would have, be thousand people at an opening.

I mean it would, the entire gallery would be full and then all the way up and down the street were people coming into the openings.

I think it was kind of the place where the millennials at that time hung out.

- [Tom] What are now the millennials, yeah.

- [Joe] (laughs) yeah, we didn't have that word back then.

- No, boomers.

(laughs) And one thing, Joe and I are sort of in the minority of the group so we were always fighting to have sculpture shows whereas most of the painters, most of the shows were paintings or other kinds of things, 2D work.

I would say that the piece that Patrick Dougherty made was one of my favorites because it took advantage of the space.

It was made out of saplings.

They were all woven together into this big sculpture.

I liked that.

Richard Carlyon who was one of the most revered painters and teachers at school and I had a show in 1980 together so I had the floor and he had the walls.

- [Emily] Gutierrez.

- Gutierrez, and that caused a bunch of trouble because Joe Morrissey who at the time was the city attorney I guess tried to close us down and all it did was give us great advertising.

And so the shows were even more heavily trafficked after that so thank you, Joe.

That was good.

(laughs) (dance music) - I think that 1708 has lasted for 40 years due to any number of factors not least of which is the strength of Richmond's art community and artist community and I think that the founding 17 members and the fact that their legacy and involvement continues til obviously right now speaks to the collaborative spirit of that community and the fact that there's a lot of love for one another.

We've continued to be the only non-profit of this size that really supports artists and to the initial impulse of giving young artists a space and an opportunity.

We've held that really close to this day and have really worked hard with supporters and artists and audience members to continue to provide literal resources to artists that they might not get in other places and those are financial resources and organizational resources.

And we've just tried to listen to what artists need and be true to that.

One of the things that we try to pay attention to that I think speaks to the vibrancy of the Richmond arts community is how many students are choosing to stick around Richmond and call it home or move here and that, I mean I feel like that number increases every year.

And that to me is a real sign that the arts community is just, to your word, is exploding and that Richmond's a viable place to make serious art and be experimental and adventurous and find the support to do that.

And that's exciting to see that continue to develop and thrive.

(crowd cheering) - And I will say the other thing about 1708, it has a reputation that's national.

(jazz music) People coming out of art school are coming out just becoming professionals and this is a real place where they can jump start a career and that's been real important.

It's interesting in my other roles as a professional I've looked through people's resumes and I'm so often surprised and elated to see that people have 1708 was one of their first exhibitions where they actually got a jump start into the professional world.

If you look around at what's happening between the Virginia Museum, the Modlin Center, 1708, the New Institute for Contemporary Art, The Anderson Gallery, all the galleries down in Manchester now and the art centers there and up West Main Street and-- - Vista Public Art.

Things going on around town like the mural projects and all that, it's just... I'm glad I stayed.

(laughs) - Some background on the Gutierrez mentioned in this story.

In 1990 a painting of three nude men by New York artist, Carlos Gutierrez-Solana was on the gallery's front window.

The work signified three of his close friends who died from AIDS and the intolerance to the disease.

The painting caused a controversy and was covered up by the Richmond Arts Council.

Gutierrez-Solana took it to court.

A federal judge ruled the art was not obscene and barred the state from prosecuting the gallery.

We also want to note that in the story is a feature exhibit titled Yo Bruce which shows the works by late founding member, Gerald Donato and his former student, Bruce Wilhelm.

For more information about the gallery visit 1708gallery.org.

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