By Agueda Pacheco
For the Auburn Reporter

The Auburn Valley Creative Arts gallery has closed its doors, but it is far from gone. In fact, the organization is searching for a new home.

AVCA, a nonprofit organization that started nearly six years ago, dedicates its time to promote, encourage and support art and local artists. It hosts visual art shows and offers art classes.

Before its closure, the gallery was inside the Arcade Building, 222 E. Main St. in downtown.

Zachary Tanner, AVCA president, said the decision to leave was partly based on a lack of money being produced to pay the rent.

“The current location at the Arcade is hemorrhaging money,” Tanner said. “What led to our closure was basically the current gallery doesn’t make any sales. It’s hard to be an art gallery that doesn’t sell any art.”

Not only does the organization suffer from lack of sales, so do local artists.

“We have unbelievable artists in Auburn, but they aren’t selling any art in Auburn,” he said.

Tanner wants to change that perhaps by relocating to an area with more foot traffic.

“If our art gallery was somewhere where people walked by, it would be easier to make sales,” he said.

The space was also very limited for AVCA, with only enough room to display art.

“The space that we are looking for is a little bit larger, where people can have a place to work and have multiple artists working at the same time,” he said.

AVCA also wants to find a new home where business owners might be more willing to work with their nonprofit organization status. As a 501(c) nonprofit organization, landlords can cut the organization’s rent, then claim it as a donation. The amount would be fully tax-deductible.

Until AVCA can find a business owner willing to work with the organization’s nonprofit status, Tanner said, there are other opportunities for them, such as becoming a traveling art gallery.

“It’s fairly common in the Northwest. It’s something we are interested in doing until we find our new home,” said Tanner.

AVCA will continue to teach demos at City Hall on the second Wednesday of every month. The closure of its doors may also lead to an increase in classes throughout the month.

“We will have more of an opportunity to teach the community a little bit more,” he said.

Despite not having a home, AVCA is here to stay.

“Auburn Valley Creative Arts isn’t ending. We’re not leaving. We will still be an artist co-op, we just won’t have an Art Gallery,” Tanner said.

To learn more, visit auburnvalleycreativearts.com.