Fill up on art at Chases Garage, a former gas station that’s been remade into a unique studio and gallery space.
In the small coastal town of York, Maine, you can pull in and fill ’er up at a unique studio and gallery space called Chases Garage. Co-owners and directors Cait Giunta and Ned Roche started renovating the former blacksmith’s shop/garage that’s more than 100 years old in 2012, opening the first artist studios in April of the following year, and the gallery a few months later. “The space was so empty—we were really able to decide what it would be and what went where,” recounts Giunta. Roche and Giunta are both ceramicists, as well as large-format print enthusiasts, so being able to put their large, heavy equipment precisely where they needed greatly benefitted their business concept.
In addition to the studios and gallery, Chases Garage hosts ceramic and printmaking classes taught by local artisans and the owners themselves. The gallery shows from May to December. “Our artists are primarily local and regional,” explains Giunta. “Ned and I curate our shows with artists whose work we think will complement each other and the space.”
With a pair of gasoline pumps out front, there’s no mistaking what Chases Garage once was. But the facade that once held a giant overhead door now welcomes visitors, students, and professional artists. “The Seacoast has a flourishing artist community,” says Giunta. “Our goal is to support artists who are not only looking to create work, but to join in a dialogue about it. The community is a huge component of why we started this endeavor.”