Atlanta’s newest gallery is coming to the Poncey-Highland neighborhood next month. Memento, an art gallery/event space, will occupy the lower level of the building that houses Liberty Tattoo on Ponce de Leon Avenue. Owner Madison Dailey discussed her passion for the arts, her journey to becoming a gallerist, and her hopes and dreams for this new venture which opens officially on June 17.
The name, Memento, offers a clue into what Dailey hopes to do with the gallery. “Memento very much comes from the idea of a keepsake, or a memory that you can take from an experience that you had and what I found from hosting art experiences in New York is that when someone comes to an event and sees a live painter… they have more of a connection to that piece. We would always sell the pieces from those events, so it became a lasting memento of their experience.”
Credit: Lindsey Leonard
Credit: Lindsey Leonard
“I want the space to obviously be memorable, because that’s kind of our thing,” said Dailey with a laugh, “but it should be memorable in the right ways.”
Memento occupies an unusual 1,600-square-foot space which is zoned both for commercial and residential purposes. The 1940s building has a storied history that remains predominantly a mystery to Dailey. What she does know is that her space has housed Imagine Media Consulting, an indie coworking space, and even the keyboardist for the band Kings of Leon. Dailey signed the lease to the space back in October of 2022 and began renovations including installation of a small kitchenette, a faux fireplace mantle, and painting the granite walls an off-white color that she feels is less sterile than the traditional stark white you find in most art galleries.
Born and raised in Atlanta, Dailey graduated from high school and then headed north to attend Parsons at The New School in New York City. Leaning on her lifelong love for fine art, she first enrolled in the fine arts program before determining that she instead preferred working in artist management and switched her major to strategic design and management. After graduation she went back to Parsons at The New School for a master’s degree in the same field.
As part of Dailey’s thesis she began doing creative art events and in 2018 she started a company with her two best friends, Christy Waldrop and Rachel Doyon, called Collabarét. They brought their signature creative art events to New York art galleries, hotel lobbies, and even Saks Fifth Avenue. Featuring a wide array of immersive experiences including live music, live art, projections, and more, these events started to gain traction and connected Dailey with a number of great New York City artists. One such artist Jay Gittens, who goes by The Love Child, was influential in Dailey’s decision to open her own gallery. One of his pieces is now on display in Memento. Today Collabarét continues its legacy of supporting artists through immersive installations under Doyon’s leadership in Berlin, Germany.
Credit: Rough Draft Atlanta
Credit: Rough Draft Atlanta
In the early days of the pandemic the shutdowns prohibited these types of art events, and so Dailey decided to head back south to her hometown here in Atlanta. She and her husband have settled into a home in Glenwood Park and she began working with agencies as a graphic designer and later shifting into freelance graphic design. Today, Dailey continues to work as a designer, preferring to work with artists as they develop their logos and branding, while simultaneously preparing the gallery for its debut.
While Memento is at its heart an art gallery, Dailey has also developed a business plan that accommodates private events such as corporate offsites and meetings which help to offset the cost of the space. For every three events that are booked at Memento, Dailey offers the venue for an artist to showcase their work there free of charge. In this way, Dailey can continue to offer support and exhibition space to local artists while maintaining the necessary overhead costs.
“I’m trying to make this a creative space where you don’t have to be a top, well-known artist to show work or display your pieces here,” explained Dailey. The artists whose work line the walls today represent a variety of skill levels, backgrounds, ages, and origins. Visitors can expect to see works by local Atlanta artists as well as some from New York-based artists procured by Dailey and her friend Briana Hargrove. Hargrove is a curator for Memento and heavily involved with the gallery operations. In early April, the pair loaded up in a minivan and made the long drive up to New York City to load up original artworks which are now on display here in Atlanta.
Credit: Rough Draft Atlanta
Credit: Rough Draft Atlanta
In talking with Dailey, it quickly becomes apparent that she is not only passionate about fine arts, but also committed to developing an inclusive, welcoming, and approachable art experience for exhibiting artists and visitors alike. She hopes that everyone will feel comfortable to stop into the gallery and discuss the art, which is part of the reason why she made certain design choices in the hopes that it will feel more like a home and less like a formal gallery.
“I want people to feel like they can come here and feel accepted, where they can meet people, build relationships, and collaborate with each other in the future. Whether it’s an artist and patron relationship or an artist to artist relationship. I really want to foster that.”
Memento Gallery is located at 696 Somerset Terrace NE Suite C. The debut exhibition “Keepsakes and Artifacts” will open on June 17 from 1-4 p.m. The following weekend, June 24, Memento will screen the documentary film Le Choisi by filmmaker Suzanne Barry.
Credit: Rough Draft Atlanta
Credit: Rough Draft Atlanta
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