Virginia art gallery closing Saturday after rent jumps 50%: 'This has been a godsend'

COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. — A well-known Colonial Heights art gallery is closing its doors Saturday after a 50% rent increase made it impossible to keep the space open.

Henry Kidd, 75, a historical artist who retired from Philip Morris after 30 years before pursuing his passion full-time, will lock the door to Side Street Gallery for the last time Saturday afternoon. He is inviting all artists who have shown in the gallery, past and present, along with anyone else who wants to stop by, to a farewell party starting at 1 p.m.

"I'm not looking forward to walking out that door and locking it behind me tomorrow. This is a lifestyle change for me. I know the Lord will find something else and open another door for me, but I don't know where that door is right now," Kidd said.

The gallery, which Kidd shares with about a dozen other artists, became unaffordable after the building was sold and rent increased sharply.

A grant from the Cameron Foundation had helped sustain the gallery in recent years, but that funding did not come through this year.

The gallery holds deep personal significance for Kidd. It sits three doors down from where his father ran a barber shop for 30 years.

"This has been a godsend to me, this gallery," Kidd said.

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Beyond displaying art, the gallery served as a community hub. Kidd offered art classes and hosted monthly showings, including exhibitions featuring high school, middle school and elementary school artists.

"This meant a lot to the community with our art classes in here. We'd have showings for the high school and junior high artists in here and elementary," Kidd said.

Kidd also taught art lessons to participants in a drug and alcohol intervention group.

"They voluntarily joined this group to try and put their lives back together," Kidd said.

His commitment to giving back extends well beyond the gallery walls. After the Sept. 11 attacks, Kidd created a special painting that helped raise $25,000 for New York firefighters and police. He then visited every firehouse in the city to deliver a gift.

"I gave away 338 framed limited edition prints and probably 10,000 posters," Kidd said.

Kidd has also dedicated much of his work to honoring veterans and active duty soldiers.

Among his proudest accomplishments is a series of paintings created on historical military stretchers as canvases, collectively celebrating 250 years of American history.

Kidd said art is at the core of what makes us human.

"Without art, humanity would not be as great as it is," Kidd said.

Despite the personal loss of closing the gallery, Kidd said his focus is on the other artists who share the space. He is actively searching for an affordable space to rent so the work of all the artists in the building can find a new home.

Kidd said his art has always been driven by emotion and a desire to connect with people.

"I can tell you, everything I paint has Henry's emotion in it. God gave me two talents, I think. One is to do the artwork, the other is to reach out and touch people's hearts," Kidd said.

As for what comes next, Kidd is leaving it to a higher power.

"Tomorrow is in the Lord's hands," Kidd said. "The store is closing. I know he'll open another one for me."

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