Today we’d like to introduce you to Eva And John Di Orio-Mortensen.
Hi Eva and John, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
John and I met online after we both went through divorces. We got to know each other, and I ended up moving out to Allentown, for a relief from the stresses of the city I was living in, Philadelphia. When I arrived, I found Allentown to be in despearate need of a contemporary art gallery. John and I had individually had a dream of opening an art gallery, and so we knew that this was the time to do it, as a team.
We found a small space in Allentown for rent, and put together an exhibit of our own work. This was in 2010. Since John had lived in Allentown for quite some time, I relied on him for the connections in which to start. We sent invitations to everyone he could think of as well as people involved in the arts we could find by doing research. The turnout for the opening reception was quite a success! There were at least 30-40 people there. From there we curated more shows of artists who came to us or artists we discovered. The momentum grew and grew.
We started also putting together music performances as well as performance art events. After our landlords informed us that we could no longer use the space for performances, we began looking for an alternate space and found the industrial building we are currently in, one block from the Lehigh River in the First Ward. We managed to purchase the building and began demoing the inside and reconstructing it into our current space. We had been going through a difficult time financially so we were extremely lucky that the owners of the building at thet time were willing to work with us in terms of a pay to own type situation. We do now own the gallery. It took many years to finish reconstruction, with some help from our families. We had to close down for Covid for a few years, but we officially reopened in 2018, with a fundraiser and amazing support from the community.
We continue to display artwork mostly from local artists as well as aritsts from Philadelphia, NY and beyond. We have also featured indepentant curators who have each organized incredible exhibits. We have 4 separate smaller rooms which we have used for artist studios, music practice space and storage. We also often rent the gallery to people for parties and have even held a few weddings and bridal showers.
When we found the building, it was being used to restore carpets which were damaged in fires. The building had also been used for meat packing and other more industrial purposes. It was subdivided, covered in tar and dirty wall to wall carpeting. Its interior was in pretty rough shape so we envisioned a new space and reconstructed it. It is located in the First Ward of Allentown, which after being here for 14 years, is being redeveloped by two developers. The Neuweiler Brewery, the site which was once Allentown’s largest employers, is being transformed into a mixed use development featuring apartments and commercial space. There are also mixed use properties being redevloped right along the river.
We have striven to reach out to the neighborhood we are located in and include them in the events we have going on, and we are also hoping the new buildings will bring more people and more foot traffic to the gallery. Our plan is to build a small coffee bar in the upcoming year, to also help bring people into the space on a more regular basis to see the exhibit as well as enjoy some coffee treats. I have attempted to hold children’s art classes at times in the space, and my hope is to someday be able to provide them for free to the community of the First Ward.
We both believe in Allentown and its redevlopment, growth and potential. There is something very satisfying about providing something to the community that is needed, and judging from the response, it truly is appreciated. We both have jobs to supplement (and sustain) the gallery so we are grateful that our hard work is making a difference in the place we live. It feels good to be a part of something, a movement, the changes. There are a lot of people in the Lehigh Valley who want to make a difference by providing a service to the community. We are connecting and finding them all of the time, and together we are all helping to shape the future of Allentown, PA.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We have had many struggles. The struggles have been financial, needing to work to sustain the business. This is still a struggle, but we are hoping the foot traffic and coffee shop help. We have struggled with time, losing our free time to holding events here on weekends, etc. We have struggled a bit with not being included with the communications of “downtown Allentown”. We are a bit too far away to be considered downtown Allentown, so we are quite relieved to have development happening in our immediate neighborhood, which will hopefully provide plenty of retail space for people to open their own businesses, contributing to the neighborhood here in the First Ward. We struggled with having the paitence to make sure the buildling was done right and was up to code. This really took some time, effort and money. We have struggled with having events in which only a couple of people have showed up for. This is always difficult, but fortunately we have worked with many artists and musicians who understand how difficult it can be to run an art business. And artists all understand the struggle.
But you just keep going, even when it is embarrassing or humiliating. You just get up and try again! Luckily, this now doesn’t often happen!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have worked in arts organizations, was an artist assistant and have taught art in private schools. I now teach an online art course through NCC while co running the gallery. John is an electrician and has provided most of the financial backbone while we have been pursuing this dream, so he truly is sacrificing a lot.
I have recently started showing my own artwork more and having the time and courage to puruse it. I think I was burying my head in other’s artwork and neglecting myself, but this can burn you out. I am making time for my own creative ideas and had two shows in the past two years. I strive to use found materials, as an attempt to recycle and give recognition to discarded objects, mixed with drawing, painting, printmaking and ceramics. I also guest curated an exhibit this past year at Lafayette College, which was exciting, being able to connect with a different group of artists and work with a different team at their gallery..
John also exhibited his work at Soft Machine this past year. This was a great opportunity for him. He too was neglecting himself, and it was touching to see him have the opportunity to express himself. He now is working as the manager of the metal department at Miller Knoll (furniture manufacturers partially founded by Harry Bertoia). He is excited to do something different than electical work. He knows how to weld, and this will be a nice change for him. He may even have some time to work on his own artwork in their studios.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I think we are both definitely risk takers. There is still a huge risk in what we are doing. We don’t know how much this building will increase in value. Will it make up for all of the money we have spent? We keep investing our time and money into it, yet it is far from being sustainable financially. Both of us are operating from a place of pure faith in our hopes and desires for this place. I think the unwavering confidence we feel as a team is what helps us but also hinders us in that neither of us is incredibly practical. We are working more on making sure we don’t do events for free anymore, etc. We are working hard to make sure what we put into it can generate income. Before, it was more of a free service we were doing for the community, but at some point you have to look out for yourself and take care of yourself, or you will not be able to keep doing what you’re doing.
It’s important to take risks. You won’t gain anything unless you put yourself out there. You might lose here and there along the way, but if you play it safe all of the time, you won’t see as many amazing things. It’s not as exciting!
Pricing:
- -Artwork ranges from $50 – $6,000
- -Music shows – $10-$15 a ticket
- -Space rental – $60 an hour
- -Wedding rental for 24 hours – $1000
- -Studio or music practice space rental – $200 a month
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.softmachinegallery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soft_machine_gallery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/softmachinegallery/
