Where the Art Is
Area Galleries Find New Homes in Unconventional Spaces

By Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, November 14, 2008

One thing that H&F Fine Arts co-owners Karen Handy and Cheryl Fountain don't want is to be pigeonholed. Handy, who, like her partner, is African American, describes the focus of the almost two-year-old gallery, located just outside the District in Prince George's County's Gateway Arts District, in a nutshell: "inclusive of all." To that end, recent and upcoming shows feature Latino, African American and white artists.

Calling the decision to open a gallery in an arts district that is still struggling to attract a critical mass of other arts organizations -- let alone restaurants -- a "leap of faith," Handy knows that she sometimes sounds more like a missionary than a businesswoman. "We don't just want to show art that we like," she says, before adding, with a laugh, "Maybe that means I'm not a good gallerist. I'm not snobby enough."