The Bastion Opens its Doors for Gallery Night

Contributed

1020 at the Bastion is hosting their very first Gallery Night, in conjunction with the Erie-wide event spearheaded by the Erie Art Museum. The historic Daniel Illig house at 21st and Peach will be open to the public and all of the individual artists who have studios at the Bastion will have their work on display.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 27

Historical architecture, live entertainment, food by the Que Abides, and plenty of local artists sharing their crafts are promised for the inaugural gallery night at The Bastion. The building is owned and operated by 10/20 Collective (Rick Bowser and Sarah Moody) who purchased it from former owners Bill and Emily Kern in April 2023. Bowser and Moody have breathed new life into the art studio house with additional renovations, redecorating, and leasing the space as private studios for artists, musicians, and creators.

"We intend to carry on their intention of the space being an art house. We kept the name The Bastion, meaning fortress, because of brand recognition and how fitting the name is," said Moody. "The building is fully occupied with artists and creative business owners. It has been exciting and fulfilling to witness our tenants collaborating and creating together."

One of the few remaining examples of Second Empire architecture in the city, the 7,600-square-foot mansion is located on 21st and Peach, has a signature Mansard roof, decorative iron roof cresting, and pedimented windows. Built by Daniel Illig and his wife Mary Schultz in 1876, it had been "always pointed out as one of the first, fine old homes in the city" (John Elmer Reed, History of Erie County, Pennsylvania, 1925). Illig came to Pennsylvania from Germany in 1857 and owned a tailor and clothing shop on State Street. It was in this home where they raised their 14 children.

The structure was compromised, renovated, and poorly converted to offices in the 1970s and then left abandoned for many years. In October 2016, Bill and Emily Kern purchased the building, named it The Bastion, and peeled back the layers upon layers of bad renovations that took place throughout the house's history. The Kerns spent three years working on restoring the original elements that remained in the house, while replicating and replacing what had been removed.

Moody says they are currently hosting their first artist-in-residence, Ana Balcazar, who will be painting a mural on the building's awning with a grand reveal on gallery night. "The entire building will be open from 6 to 10 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27. Everyone will have their studio space open with additional vendors in the lot behind the building." Going forward, she says we can expect biannual open studios and additional small gatherings hosted by tenants.

Artists at the Bastion include: Andre Jones. Rachel Berlin, Emily Crisman, Nicholas Gore, Brian Matthews, Matt Retkowski, Ellen Hill, Kelvin Sanchez, Ana Balcazar, Hollin Nies, Jamie Keim Pomorski, Raeann Krugger, Sara Garrity, Megan Leo, Ashley Stack and Lori Radder Spicer.

6 to 10 p.m. // The Bastion, 2016 Peach St. // Free // For more information: 1020collective.com