‘I Know We’re Not Alone’: Citing Impact of COVID-19 Crisis, George Lawson Gallery Won’t Be Reopening

George Lawson Gallery, one of a pair of acclaimed galleries that moved from San Francisco to Mill Valley in 2019 and which was set to debut its latest exhibit last month before the shelter in place order to combat the COVID-19 outbreak shut down art galleries, won’t be reopening once that order is lifted, Lawson announced today.

“The COVID-19 crisis hit my gallery at a vulnerable moment when we were just building our base after the move to Marin,” Lawson wrote to his community on Thursday. “The cessation of revenue has left us with debt beyond our ability to service, and as a result we will not be reopening. I know we’re not alone. When room for painting room for paper opened at 49 Geary in September of 2008, it was another difficult moment, and we managed to keep the program going through all its ups and downs over 11 and a half years basically by staying agile and moving a lot. In the current situation, however, there is nowhere else to go.”

“I was a painter before starting the gallery and that’s what I’ll go back to,” he continued. “When the dust settles, we will all need to rebuild the cultural landscape and the best tools we have are curiosity and openness. Keep looking. Keep your body involved. Go out of your way to do so. Stay healthy.”

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