Walk into Area 61 and you may feel like you’ve wormholed into another universe.
Filled by as much loot as Ali Baba’s cave, the art gallery also reveals a sensibility that is almost alien to many galleries; edgy, politicized, provocative and compassionate. Some people may be angered or shocked by what they see in Area 61, located at 61 E. Main St. But co-owner and curator Keeli Crewe knows they won’t be bored.
“I hope visitors do keep talking about the art, even arguing about it, once they walk out the door and go home,” Crewe says, flashing an engaging smile that coaxes even art skeptics in the door. “This is a home for interesting ideas as well as art
“It’s hard to believe now, but my husband and I originally thought of this space basically as a showroom for my husband’s beautiful furniture. We figured we would hang a few works by local artists on the walls for color.”
Area 61 has a similar name to Area 51, part of Nevada’s Edwards Air Force Base and reputed to be the place where, among other fantastical theories, the government takes downed UFOs, experiments in time travel and weather control and develops exotic energy weapons.