Pictured: Octocup by Christina Hess will be part of 502 Gallery's debut show, Shopliftable.

A new art gallery is coming to the Sarasota arts scene with the August opening of 502 Gallery in the Burns Court Historic District. Created by artists Tim Jaeger and Cassia Kite, as well as local collector Richard Mones, the new gallery will be dedicated to showcasing the power and beauty of small works, inviting its roster of near 50 emerging and established artists from the Southwest Florida region to scale down and say more with less. The gallery opens August 5 with its first exhibition, “Shopliftable.”

“It’s a really exciting time to be opening a gallery,” says Jaeger, noting that, with last year’s departure of 530 Burns, the neighborhood lacks a solid visual arts presence. “And we’re excited to share with Sarasota a lot of artists who are either unrecognized, underrepresented or haven’t exhibited in a while.”

This will not be the first time Jaeger has championed the importance of small-scale artwork in the Sarasota art scene, having previously curated an early version of the Shopliftable concept at GAZE Modern in the Rosemary District years ago. “Small works invite people to get up close and personal,” he says. “It’s a more detailed experience and people like the intimacy of it.” For the August exhibition, contributing artists have been asked to create a piece no larger than 6” in any dimension, and have answered the call with ceramics, painting, drawing, photography and even kinetic sculpture from Steven Strenk and Virginia Hoffman.

Other artists with 502 Gallery include Joseph Arnegger, Jorge Blanco, Matteo Caloiaro, Tom Casmer, Omar Chacon, Jesse Clark, Jack Dowd, Linda Driggs, Regan Dunnick, Joe Fig, Gale Fulton-Ross, Jenny Medved, Meg Pierce, Taylor Robenalt, Jeff Schwartz and Rob Tarbell.

Beyond artistic preference, Jaeger also sees creating and celebrating small-scale artwork as an important factor in making the local arts scene accessible, both for collectors and artists. “It paves the way for younger collectors to be able to afford artwork from local artists, to start a collection,” he says. And for those with established collections, smaller works can more easily be integrated into the whole. “A lot of collectors already have their statement piece,” he says. “But there’s always room for another small piece of artwork somewhere.”

With time, Jaeger hopes that 502 can be that place where new artists and collectors find their footholds, established artists and collectors add to their repertoire, and all benefit from a more vibrant exchange. “It’s creating another standard in the community and raising the bar for the visual arts,” he says. “But on a personal note, it gives me great joy to see other artists succeed. And that’s what this is for.”

Located at 502 South Pineapple Street in the Burns Court Historic District, 502 Gallery opens August 5 with Shopliftable.

Pictured: Octocup by Christina Hess will be part of 502 Gallery's debut show, Shopliftable.