How Alexandria Gallery Went From Cleveland Pop-Up to Global Force
By Artnet Gallery Network
Alexandria Gallery, founded by Irina Falberg, began with a seemingly straightforward idea: art is for everyone. Not something to be relegated to only white cube galleries, museums, and expansive private collections, art is to be lived with and learned from—and the only thing stopping most would-be collectors is accessibility.
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Falberg debuted her mission with a comparatively humble nonprofit pop-up initiative that focused on fostering and promoting artists and their work, opening the door for them to forge meaningful relationships with both new and seasoned collectors alike. Today, this has evolved into an expansive, permanent gallery space in Woodmere, just outside Cleveland, that now represents over 50 artists reflecting more than 30 countries, and a robust exhibition program.
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Irina Falberg. Courtesy of Alexandria Gallery.
Paralleling the gallery’s accessibility-centered ethos is the ongoing support of art in all its forms. Rather than adhere to the prevailing gallery model that prioritizes specialities—sculpture or painting, Modern or Contemporary, figurative or abstract—Alexandria bases its presentations on the strength of the individual works, regardless of their formal classifications.
Examples of the artists the gallery champions include Zoe Sever, who is currently the subject of the solo show “Take a Tour of Kaleidoscopic Cityscapes,” on view through August 31. Another notable name on their roster is Olivia de Rossi, whose approach to technique and motif exploration has resulted in an expansive oeuvre that defies aesthetic category. Moving fluidly between representation and abstraction, the conceptual underpinnings of her canvases are brought to the fore.
And Fausto Perez creates vibrant, meticulous landscapes and village scenes that synthesize the visual traditions of El Salvador with a contemporary sensibility.
Olivia de Rossi, A Symphony of Becoming (2026). Courtesy of Alexandria Gallery.
Beyond operating as a nonprofit and its diverse roster, Alexandria Gallery has created a space for its community and would-be collectors to actively learn and engage with the art. Through a number of in-house initiatives, including producing affordable artist’s prints, educational programs, artist talks, and more, the gallery operates as a bridge between art, artists, and audiences of all backgrounds, cultivating an accessible environment wherein dialogues and exchange can happen.
Another initiative to connect the worlds of literature and fine art has seen the gallery invite emerging and established writers to engage with artworks through their preferred medium of choice, be it short story and essay or more experimental types of writing.
Olivia de Rossi, Floral Rhapsody (2026). Courtesy of Alexandria Gallery.
While exclusivity and gatekeeping are prevailing motives in the art world, Alexandria Gallery is bucking the trend and instead doubling down on creating broader avenues for people to engage with art.
Explore Alexandria Gallery here.
This article was originally published by Artnet News.