The two Syracuse University graduates met at the Delavan Gallery where Rile works as public relations coordinator; she is also director of communications at the Cultural Resources Council. With the Delavan closed for the summer, the two were able to join forces and open the Contemporary Gallery on June 11 in an attempt to “Test out everything we’re really passionate about in one go,” as Esperon put it.

They make it sound easy. After scouting out possible locations, Esperon put together a proposal which went something like this: “Would you like to donate space for an art gallery? We will spruce it up with a coat of paint and leave it better than we found it.” The first call they made was to J.F. Real Estate, owners of the 230 Harrison St. property, and they agreed to the deal. The space turned out to be much larger than it appeared from the street, measuring 1,886 square feet, and opening into several rooms including a kitchen. The real estate company even foots the bill for the lights.