By Kevin Lee Associate Editor

The dust hasn’t settled but a form is emerging from the haze.

The renovation of Space 301, the Centre for the Living Arts’ downtown contemporary arts gallery, has been a few years in the making and as completion of the project nears, CLA is hoping to pique public interest. Recent tours were offered of the shifting facility and the glimpse provided of its future is tantalizing.

The renovation is touted as a chief desire of Space 301 progenitor Palmer Bedsole who passed away in 2006.

The facility opened to acclaim five years ago. Its industrial ambiance lent a much-needed modern element to a downtown still seeking a sense of identity at the time. It felt wonderfully urban and looked more to the future than customary in a tradition-bound town.

Once the new work started on the building, exhibits were moved to the next block in a space adjacent to the Saenger Theatre, another CLA facility, and downtown denizens watched the construction with interest. Floor plans released to the public gave little true scale to the metamorphosis in action.

This most recent “open house” makes clear the ambition involved. The walls are still mostly absent, aluminum studs outlining the rooms to be while the accompanying cacophony of construction noise makes it obvious progress is definitely in action.

The ground level will still house the majority of exhibition space but a new glass-encased main entrance from Conti Street will allow sunlight to cascade in and will connect the interior and exterior spaces.

A smaller gallery space will be sectioned off and the restrooms will be expanded. A warming pantry to facilitate food service during openings is planned as well.

The second floor will house offices, conference rooms and a reception area that features a view of the downstairs exhibition hall.

The third story will boast not only a classroom/workshop but a glass-encased180-seat auditorium with technical audio/visual capabilities and an adjoining outdoor terrace.

Future workshop areas will take up a portion of all three stories but remain in the works for a while longer. A wood shop and metal shop will reside on the first floor, a clay studio, kilns and glazing facilities will be above it and a glass studio will be up top. All three will be tied together via an atrium.

The pride evident in Curator Clayton Colvin and Development Director Anna Luce’s demeanor during the “open house” is deserved. Overall, it is impressive and certainly fulfills the space’s stated mission as a spot for not only exhibition but community education and outreach.

A glimpse will be provided to the public during Arts Alive weekend of April 11-14. When it is finally unveiled in finished glory later this year, Mobilians will be just as excited as when it first opened its doors in 2003.

My only reservation is born in personal bias as I was particularly fond of the industrial feel of Space 301’s first incarnation and this new design seems to have much more in common with the slick environs of the Mobile Museum of Art in Langan Park. While the westward facility is indeed remarkable, there was a nice complementary contrast between the polish in the park and the minimalist/urban downtown gallery. They seemed to be great cousins rooted together in modernism.

Wistfully, I want to believe a little bit of bare steel and brick here and there could add some texture to the new Space 301. Of course, if I want it badly enough, I’m always free to pony up funds and make a request.

It might be the first time someone has donated and asked to keep something essentially unfinished.

But either way, the new facility is just another welcome sign that some things are indeed changing in an old town.

Kevin Lee is Lagniappe associate editor. Contact him at klee@lagniappemobile.com.

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