Aesthetic ESSENSE

Burl Gallery is a women-led nonprofit community art gallery. The roots of Burl Gallery go back to 1997, when it was first established in Lowertown, Saint Paul as an artist co-op under the name of Argyle Zebra Gallery (AZ Gallery). Like so many others, the pandemic hit our local arts community especially hard.  The co-op dissolved in 2021 — but within that challenge, we saw an opportunity.  And opportunity to reimagine how we could better serve, support and uplift the artists around us. That vision became a community-centered space — an art gallery rooted in the values of equity, accessibility and inclusion — where all are welcome; promoting the principle that “art if for everyone" — all brought to life through the collective passion and dedication of volunteers and the generosity of our community & donors. In August of 2024, we rebranded to BURL GALLERY.  A BURL is a cool-looking extraneous growth on a tree.  It forms as a protective response when a tree experiences stress from an injury, virus or disease.  The callous tissue that grows into a BURL has several purposes, all related to tree growth and tree preservation. BURLS are strong, gnarly and quite magnificent — especially on the inside. Our COMMUNITY is our BURL.  We came together during an enormous time of stress.  We folded into one another, providing STRENGTH and PROTECTION for each other, which then created unique opportunities for GROWTH.  We literally helped one another survive through CREATIVITY and KINDNESS. 

I am honored to have my piece "Pivotal Moment (Tribute to Renee Good)" included in the Aesthetic ESSENCE exhibition at Burl Gallery.