Brian Schorn

ALPENA — After two years and two locations, contemporary art gallery Studio Rubedo will be officially closing on Aug. 31. Owner Brian Schorn announced his closure plans on Friday, citing the pandemic-related shutdown as a contributing factor in his decision.

“It is a combination of factors,” Schorn said in a phone interview on Friday. “And certainly what put it over the edge was the fact that we haven’t been open since March.”

When the mandatory statewide shutdown forced Studio Rubedo’s doors shut in mid-March, Schorn was discouraged because the exhibition by Elliott Earls had just opened.

“It was my first big opening for a Detroit artist, which I was very excited about,” he said, adding that he felt the effects of the shutdown immediately. “His opening was right at the beginning of this, and as a result, only one or two people came. And, it was, of course, a big disappointment, and no one at that point knew what was going to be happening in the months ahead.”

Schorn’s focus with Studio Rubedo has been contemporary art, and he had lined up many artists from across the nation to expose the Alpena community to something they normally might only see on a visit to a metropolis such as Detroit or New York.

He recalled his hopes going into the first exhibition in March.

“The paintings took up the entire walls,” he said. “It was really exciting, and the work was fresh, and I really was hoping it would have an effect on the community in a positive way. To help people understand and experience contemporary art here in Alpena.”

He said the exhibition opened, then the artwork hung on the walls while the gallery was shut down.

“It was very difficult to go in the gallery every day and see this really cool work hanging there, and nobody could come and see it,” Schorn recalled.

As the shutdown continued, Schorn got creative with the following exhibition by Florida photographer John Ganis, offering it online and on a loop on a screen viewable through the gallery’s front window.

“So, I tried to do the best I could to work with the situation,” he explained. “But, no matter what I seemed to try, it wasn’t getting people out,” he said, noting that he understood that many people were staying home early on, as recommended by government and health officials.

“All of this just happened at a very unfortunate time,” he said. “And people didn’t get to see what I’d planned years for.”

Now, five months after the shutdown began, Schorn has made the difficult decision to discontinue the gallery in its current capacity. He will continue to focus on and produce his own artwork, which will be available for perusal and purchase at studiorubedo.com.

Schorn said the current exhibition featuring New York City artist Daniel Belardinelli’s paintings is on display at the gallery through Aug. 30 by appointment, and online through Sept. 26. Call 989-447-2487 to schedule a private appointment. See the full online exhibition at www.studiorubedo.com.

“All of the work that he made for this exhibition was made during the pandemic,” Schorn said of Belardinelli. “So it’s especially poignant.”

He said at the July Art Walk his doors were open for three hours, and not one person entered.

“I knew there was nothing I could do further,” he said. “So I decided that, after this, without an audience, I can’t do this any longer. I’m surprised I’ve made it this far and have been able to adapt in the ways I have.”

The remainder of the scheduled exhibitions this year have been canceled.

“I would like to thank the artists who have exhibited their work at Studio Rubedo and those who were scheduled to do so including Elliott Earls, John Ganis, Daniel Belardinelli, Keith Ekstam, and Rufus Snoddy,” Schorn announced on his Facebook page on Friday. “Studio Rubedo will morph into my own personal studio practice. The website will remain and will be a place to exclusively view and purchase my artwork as well as follow my other art-related activities. My art studio will also remain in the building.”

Schorn will now be able to focus on his own artwork.

“I was so busy with focusing on other people’s artwork and promoting them and trying to develop this into a really cool, special place, that I never once got to make a single artwork of my own,” Schorn said.

Prior to the pandemic, Schorn had renovated the front room of his building to prep for a cafe space to feature unique coffee blends, but he was unable to bring that plan to fruition.

He may be closing the gallery, but Schorn is not giving up. He has plans to continue serving the community in the space located at 213 W. Chisholm St., but he will reveal the details of those plans this fall, he said.

“What do I do from here?” he asked. “That’s what I’m currently working on, is how to proceed forward. Because I’m not giving up. I’m not giving up … I am restructuring into something different. That is yet to be publicly announced. I’m still working on all the details to see if it will actually work. But I am proceeding forward.”

He said those plans will not be art-related.

“It’s going to be something different, and that’s what the rest of the space will be dedicated to,” Schorn said. “It will be a change of direction … A rebirth into something new.”

He remains positive about the future.

“It’s not necessarily a devastating thing,” he said of the gallery closing. “It’s just acknowledging, with sadness of course, that everything in the world is impermanent. Definitely including art galleries.”

Schorn is grateful for those who have supported him over the past two years.

“I would like to especially thank all of the wonderful, generous, kind, compassionate, and loving people who have contributed to Studio Rubedo in some way,” he said in his Facebook post. “There have been many! Without your support, I could not have made it as far as I did. For this, I am lovingly grateful.”