Art gallery in Frederick County closes its doors for good
FREDERICK, Md. (DC News Now) — After five years of showcasing beautiful art within the Frederick community, District Arts is officially closing its doors.
For about 12 years, owners Bill and Staci McLauchlan have been involved in the art industry by attending multiple art festivals across the country. But in 2019, they decided to do something else with their newfound passion.
“We’ve decided we’re getting too old to be standing out there peddling our art and didn’t want to leave the arts community, so we decided to move to Frederick and open a gallery,” Co-owner of District Arts, Bill McLaughlan explained.
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Since they opened they have showcased over 35 artists from around the country. But, now the couple has decided to embark on a new journey.
“We started with a five-year lease, doing another five-year lease would put me close to 81 when that is up and we decided we were going to take some time for ourselves and decided to just go ahead and retire,” Bill McLaughlan said.
Lori Rounds is a local artist who has had several pieces of her art showcased at District Arts since the gallery opened. She says their closure is somewhat bittersweet.
“District Arts has played a huge role in my life as an artist,” Rounds said. “Just being in here for the entire five years, there’s been people who have come in and have seen my artwork that never would have seen before.”
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Bill McLaughlan said they are “extremely grateful” for the support they have received.
“They’ve welcomed us, they’ve purchased art from us, we’ve made new friends, not just customers and it’s been it’s been a great five years but it’s just time to move on,” he said.
District Arts will be hosting a farewell event for the community on May 4.
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