Walker not moving to Newbury Street

Stephanie Walker will not be able to open her Walker Contemporary gallery on Boston’s Newbury Street in September, she said this morning, because investors recently pulled out due to “personal and health crises.” So for now she won’t be going forward with plans to take over part of Alpha Gallery’s space on the seventh floor at 38 Newbury St.

“It was devastating news for me,” Walker writes. “There is nothing I love more than creating a welcoming environment for the public to experience outstanding contemporary art and facilitating meaningful connections between artists and collectors. While I may be temporarily down, I am certainly not out! The great news is, I will continue as a private dealer and continue to work toward opening the gallery in the near future.”

Walker, a former director of Chase Gallery on Boston’s Newbury Street, was pursuing the project after moving back to Boston a couple weeks ago after a year in Los Angeles, where she had worked as a private dealer. She plans to continue operating this way, showing artists by appointment at the loft she lives in on Boston’s Washington Street.

Update:
Alpha Gallery president Alan Fink told me today that because Walker’s plans have fallen through things will stay status quo at the gallery – in other words, Alpha will continue to operate all of its current space.