ARL404 Assistantship · Queens University of Charlotte
Reimagining Niche 213 on Level 2 of the Sarah Belk Gambrell Center as a permanent, professional student gallery through focused lighting, architectural enclosure, and a clearly defined entrance.
Max Jackson Gallery.
How do you transform an overlooked corridor niche into a professional exhibition space that signals, from the hallway, that student work belongs here?
Niche 213, located on Level 2 of the Sarah Belk Gambrell Center and known as the Max Jackson Gallery, is intended for photography exhibitions but currently lacks dedicated lighting, enclosure, and visual separation from the surrounding corridor. As a result, displayed artwork is often overlooked, and the gallery experience is diminished by lounge furniture that dominates the space.
This proposal reimagines Niche 213 as a permanent, professional student gallery led by the Queens University Art Club. Through focused lighting, architectural enclosure, and a clearly defined entrance, the gallery is distinguished from the corridor and designed to actively draw visitors into the exhibition space. Reduced furnishings support student use of the space without competing with the displayed artwork.
Beyond improving the viewer experience, the project provides students with direct experience in exhibition design, curation, and sales, supporting portfolio development and career readiness.
ERCO Parscan 48V track luminaires at 3000K replace the ambient 4000K corridor troffers within the niche. The color temperature shift alone signals a different kind of space, directing focused light onto artwork rather than providing circulation illumination.
Gallery LightingA NanaWall HSW75 frameless sliding glass system spans the column bay. Panels park open for active exhibition hours and close for controlled access between openings. The frameless glazing preserves a clear visual connection to the corridor in either state.
NanaWall HSW75Gallery signage and a header at the column line demarcate the threshold. Scaled back furnishings inside the niche keep focus on the displayed artwork. The entrance actively draws visitors in rather than presenting as a passive recessed alcove.
Gallery Threshold
When the NanaWall panels are closed, the frameless glazing keeps the exhibition area enclosed while still allowing a clear visual connection to the corridor. The gallery continues to read as an exhibition space from the passing theater patron's vantage, and a controlled threshold protects the work during installation or between openings.
The NanaWall HSW75 panels stack open to reveal the full exhibition floor. ERCO Parscan 48V track luminaires at 3000K define the gallery threshold against the 4000K corridor, while a STAS Cliprail Pro rail supports standardized hanging heights along Benjamin Moore Super White PM 1 walls. Karndean Korlok Reserve North American Oak flooring warms the space and signals the transition from corridor to gallery.
Arriving from the Level 2 stair landing, the redesigned threshold reads as a gallery rather than a pass through niche. A clean header defines the entry, the NanaWall panels announce the exhibition zone, and the shift from the 4000K corridor troffers to 3000K track lighting telegraphs a different kind of space. The change in light quality is the first signal that visitors have entered a dedicated exhibition environment.