SCOTT: Bookshop and gallery coming to the north side of Winchester’s Square

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By DAVID CAMPHOUSE

Winchester’s Lucy Reid is realizing her goal of opening The Diana gallery, retail space, and bookshop in what was the Great Scott Market at 11 E. Market Street on the north side of Winchester’s Square.

Reid has been in the process of renovating and decorating the gallery/shop, and on Monday Reid posted an update on Facebook that provided a glimpse into the space and her thought process as she prepares to open the business

“Rather impulsively, I rented a building on the square in Winchester to open an art gallery/bookstore/photography studio,” Reid wrote.

According to another post, Reid has been acquiring inventory, and is nearing a soft opening for the business. The post also encouraged artists and makers to contact Reid if they were interested in exhibiting or selling work at the business.

“Things are beginning to come together this week,” Reid wrote on Facebook. “Books are coming in, inventory has begun for a website, and we are looking for artists and vendors!”

Reid said that the business is designed to be an accessible space that is diverse in purpose and more than just an art gallery or a bookshop.

“I didn’t want to corner it into a ‘bookstore’ or ‘art gallery,’” Reid said. “I wanted it to be a versatile third space for the community.”

“The Diana” as a business name comes from Reid’s interest in and fondness for two historical Dianas.

“I am of a certain age, and I love Princess Diana,” Reid said. “I find the mythology/history around the Roman Goddess Diana interesting.”

The first Diana for which the space is named is Diana, Princess of Wales, who used her celebrity status to raise awareness for social issues like AIDS, homelessness, and landmine removal.

The other namesake Diana is the Roman goddess of the hunt, wild animals, and the moon, often associated with childbirth and fertility. She is equivalent to the Greek goddess Artemis and symbolizes strength, independence, and female empowerment.

Reid’s new gallery and retail space also gives her a location to house her ongoing effort to document life and history in Scott County – known as the Winco Project.

“As far as the Winco Project, it gives it a physical space and home, so that it’s not just an idea and a lot of information about our history and our culture living in my head.”

One element of the Winco Project that Reid intends to pursue in earnest now that she has a physical space to house it, is her plan to take portraits of many residents of Scott County.

“I’ve been working on The Winco Project for years,  and it is time to give it a real home and start taking portraits,” Reid wrote on Facebook recently.

Reid indicated on Monday that she intends to have a soft opening for the space sometime in May or early June.

“I already have several art exhibits, some speakers events, book clubs, and a fantastic historic photography exhibit (and more) in the works,” Reid wrote. “The Diana will have a soft open sometime in the next few weeks, and a grand opening closer to the 4th of July.”

“If you are an Illinois or Midwest artist or maker and want to talk about having your work at The Diana, please reach out to @dianaonmarket or [email protected].”

More information can be found at www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575000754030.