Country circus
Circus / Wandering from place to place, Circus, a North Shore art space, leads a nomadic existence that befits its name.
“We kinda hang out somewhere for three months then pack our bags and move on,” says founder–or ringmaster–Nick Welles.
Situated opposite Pizza Bob’s in the Haleiwa Shopping Center, Circus opened last year in the same center but in a different building. The gallery had to move on when the “for lease” building they were borrowing was, indeed, leased.
“That’s what happens,” says Welles. “We move into a place, fix it up, put a bunch of art on the walls then the place ends up getting leased.”
Securing three months rent-free at each vacant building it occupies, the gallery has no overhead costs, which Welles says helps to keep prices of artwork low. Circus has a hand in other community art projects, too, like Furlough Friday art classes for kids. The classes are a relaxed place for kids to have fun making art without some of the pressure that comes with academic structure.
“We give them paint and a couple of pieces of wood,” says Welles. “We help them to make whatever they want to make…without getting graded or told what to do.”
With exhibitions that include installations, abstract pieces and graffiti, Circus sets itself apart from area galleries filled mostly with representations of waves, palm trees and the like.
“We’re mostly into showing some cool art and throwing art parties,” he says. “There’s no other place on the North Shore that shows stuff like what we’ve got going on. If you have art in another gallery, we probably won’t show it.”
Circus will participate in this month’s Haleiwa Art Walk, the last art walk to catch the gallery at its current location, and the first chance to see Coping, a skateboarder show. Welles is vague about Circus’ hours of operation.
“We’re not always open but we’re never closed,” says Welles. He does promise that for the week after the Art Walk, the gallery will be open every day, “from around 12 to 9; with barbecues on weekends.”
As for where next month’s show will be held, “It’s consistently up in the air,” says Welles. “We move from vacant space to vacant space. It keeps people on their toes! But if there’s any landlords out there with spaces empty, give me a call!”
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