I built this second version of a free little art gallery, NoCA MoCA, for an artist friend who lives around the corner from me. Here it is in its charming home:
The important elements were to make it waterproof, to have a latch that can lock when the gallery is closed, a hook that allows the gallery door to stay open on its own, lots of natural light, and…to make it attractive. As with the other gallery, I love using cedar for the gallery exterior around a plywood core:
Speaking of water, here is a cozy scene after a summer shower. The owner adds figures to observe the art, which gives it a true gallery feel.
It also has some solar-powered LEDs that give it a warm nighttime glow (this picture always reminds me of an Edward Hopper painting):
The roof beams that extend from the interior to the exterior of gallery were a fun touch that enhanced the skylights and architecture of the piece – though they did prove to be a waterproofing nightmare:
I learned a lot on this one. All the seams need to be sealed carefully. I later added trim pieces around the joint between the acrylic panels and the roof to try to protect those joints, sealed as shown below, but this turned out to be a mistake:
Even with the relief cuts, water still pooled and caused leaks. I ended up removing those trim pieces and covering the entirety of the roof with a single acrylic panel.
All good in the end, though!
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