On View

NoBo Art District’s East Window gallery spotlights statement-making work by diverse creatives

By Kalene McCort

During the pandemic—when lockdowns forced museums and galleries to shutter doors—photographer and filmmaker Todd Edward Herman created an art space designed to perfectly adhere to the rules of social distancing: a single exhibit window crafted specifically for outdoor viewing. 

“I informally contacted friends and colleagues to see if they’d be interested in displaying their artwork in my studio window for a few weeks at a time, so people walking by could view it in the open air,” Herman says. “Everyone I approached liked the idea. I really didn’t have any thoughts about growing East Window into a formal exhibit space. Truthfully, it just felt good to make the window available to artists.”

Before long, the buzz of East Window’s innovation was praised by press and Colorado’s creative community alike. 

“Awareness of this little window began to spread quickly, and in 2021, we found ourselves partnering with other art organizations and educational institutions in order to expand our curatorial possibilities,” Herman says. 

In 2022, Herman moved East Window to another area of North Boulder with the intent of expanding offerings and its reach. 

The eclectic and evolving gallery, which hosts everything from poetry readings to intimate concerts, is a welcomed cultural addition to a Broadway strip of retailers mostly of the coffee shop and restaurant variety. 

From the compelling work of Indigenous artists Gregg Deal and Danielle SeeWalker to the striking silhouette photographs of refugee youth by Dona Laurita, an array of thought-provoking content continues to grace the inviting space. 

Keeping with its origin story and namesake, the gallery also rotates art in an east-facing window accessible from a back parking lot. Making ample use of the space, Herman has also included a bathroom gallery and an outdoor front patio exhibit space. 

“In 2023 we hosted over 30 exhibitions, film screenings, workshops and artist talks,” says Herman, who hopes to deliver even more this year. 

The hub has a reading room where visitors are encouraged to sip tea or coffee and dive into eclectic publications that may just spark lively conversation. At the core of East Window is an unwavering desire for community and inclusiveness. 

“The shelves have books by authors from near and far, zines, chapbooks and artist books,” Herman says. “We’ve even got several shelves dedicated to kids. Each month we rotate our inventory as we’ve got more books than our shelves can accommodate at one time. I’d love it to become a full-on lending library, but this would take a lot.”

Currently on view through February is “Aging Bodies, Myths and Heroines,” a group show that includes pieces by twelve photographers. The exhibition challenges the prevailing notion that youth is the epitome of beauty and addresses the societal perspectives on the aging process. The stirring collection comprises a cross-section of folks in their golden years and opened in November 2023. 

“The day after East Window’s opening of ‘Aging Bodies, Myths and Heroines’ would have been my mother’s 96th birthday,” Herman explains. “She died only two years ago. With both parents having passed away now, this exhibit is, in part, a belated bon voyage gift to them. So, transience, legacy, loss and mourning have been on my mind. Much of my curatorial work as well as my own photographic and film work deals with these themes in some capacity.” 

From work that honors the art of drag and queer elders to a live performance by differently bodied dancers, Herman has created a space for those who are not always celebrated in the mainstream.

“East Window is a project through which I make every effort to advance narratives of and collaborations with people who’ve been historically marginalized by the art world to a great extent,” Herman says. “The gallery brings to the fore processes and ideas that can be very provocative to some.” 

A previous piece in the window that confronted the construct of white supremacy in the United States garnered many reactions: “It was quite a powerful piece by artist Dread Scott that really ruffled some local feathers,” Herman explains. “We received a number of angry and threatening emails and calls. We try to engage a dialogue with folks who reach out or need additional context, hoping to provide a more nuanced understanding to the works we exhibit. But sometimes folks just want to lash out. Regardless, East Window is going to keep on with its mission, often challenging viewers to look closely at difficult ideas and issues, to sit with whatever discomfort this may bring, and to celebrate its revelations. At the risk of sounding a bit naive, I’d like to think that any reaction can be the beginning of a dialogue if you stay open to it.”

While Herman has called Boulder home for seven years, it was in San Francisco that he honed his craft and became submerged in the art scene. 

“I cut my teeth in many disciplines, including collaborating with writers, visual artists, musicians, performers, filmmakers, curators and educators,” Herman says. “I’m also the co-founder of Sins Invalid, a disability justice-based performance and education project, based in Berkeley and led by disabled people of color, [which explores] themes of sexuality, embodiment and the disabled body.”

In March, folks can look forward to a solo exhibit by Nouf Aljowaysir called “SALAF (Arabic for ancestor),” which explores racial bias in AI networks as it relates to the artist’s Saudi and Iraqi family history and Jesse Freidin’s photography series, “Are You Ok: A Trans Survival Project” about adult support of trans youth.

FRAME, the ongoing literary salon featuring poetry and fiction readings accompanied by live music, will resume as well.

“Visitors are super enthusiastic, genuinely engaged and supportive,” Herman says. “With each exhibit and adjacent programming, it’s fascinating to me all of the micro-communities that the gallery brings together respectively. I love this about East Window.”

East Window is located at 4550 Broadway, Suite C-3B2 in Boulder. Gallery hours are Thursday–Saturday, 4:30–7:30pm and by appointment. To learn more, visit eastwindow.org.