© April Mirvis, Novelty Theory Studio, 2025
DECORATIVE SHRED
A contemporary DIY pop-up gallery based in SE Portland[ART DIRECTION, BRANDING, ASSET CREATION, CO-CURATION]
In the summer of 2023, two restless artists turned a neglected garage into an art gallery for 24 hours using design thinking.
IDEATION
The idea came about while Candace and I were grabbing coffee in mid-June, 2023, a few weeks before I was set to leave the country for a month. Candace was lamenting about some things that were bothering her. As an armchair-therapist friend, I was transcribing bits of her stream of consciousness that stood out in my sketchbook (a very generative process that never seems to fail creatively). We ended up with a pseudo-mindmap of notes which led us to imagine: what if we curated an art show based on these ideas? One phrase stuck out in particular: screaming section. The riffing began, and soon, I was offering up my sorely neglected garage as a potential gallery space.
We quickly realized this would be a fun and challenging joint venture; the perfect way to pull ourselves out of a creative slump. Candace began calling some former PNCA friends to see if they’d be interested in showing work, while I set off to do some moodboarding and sketching to develop an identity.
Somehow, amidst this flurry of inspiration, we stumbled upon a bag of tinsel from Dollar Tree that quickly inspired a name for our new project: Decorative Shred. It seemed to perfectly encompass the concept of a DIY gallery, especially because my garage housed two quarter pipes—artifacts from the Pandemic lockdown, aka my skate era. Things began to take shape.
We quickly realized this would be a fun and challenging joint venture; the perfect way to pull ourselves out of a creative slump. Candace began calling some former PNCA friends to see if they’d be interested in showing work, while I set off to do some moodboarding and sketching to develop an identity.
Somehow, amidst this flurry of inspiration, we stumbled upon a bag of tinsel from Dollar Tree that quickly inspired a name for our new project: Decorative Shred. It seemed to perfectly encompass the concept of a DIY gallery, especially because my garage housed two quarter pipes—artifacts from the Pandemic lockdown, aka my skate era. Things began to take shape.
PRODUCTION
We also realized we needed to find a way to recoup our costs for putting this event together. Embroidered hats ended up being the merch piece of choice, as we figured they’d be a crowd-pleaser for our audience (our friends and neighbors).
Timelines were tight as we had about 3 weeks to pull the whole production together from start to finish. That included sourcing a hat vendor and, separately, an affordable embroiderer to meet our profit margin goals. It came down to the wire, but the good folks at Top to Bottom on 82nd (hot tip for embroidery samples in PDX) saved us in the end.
Timelines were tight as we had about 3 weeks to pull the whole production together from start to finish. That included sourcing a hat vendor and, separately, an affordable embroiderer to meet our profit margin goals. It came down to the wire, but the good folks at Top to Bottom on 82nd (hot tip for embroidery samples in PDX) saved us in the end.
OUTCOMES
Carousel Photos: Mario Gallucci
- Three pieces were sold; artists gained in-person and online exposure
- Work was professionally documented for all artists
- All production costs were recouped through hat sales
- The foundations of a small business or non-profit were laid and tested for future potential
- About 75 attendees came through the gallery
- We reconnected with old friends, made new friends, and were inspired by support from the community
- Overheard: “This feels like old Portland” (arguably the truest social indicator of success in this town)
- The garage was 1000% cleaner
[fin]