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George Moses Scheer III,
artist, Elsewhere gallery-owner
… and devoted grandson
The Elsewhere Artist Collaborative museum in Greensboro may look a lot like a thrift store—a whole lot—but nothing is for sale. To George Scheer, it’s an opportunity for artists to make beautiful meaning out of what might at first seem like junk. And it’s a way for him to extend the family business, with a twist.
Elsewhere is housed within a former store run by Sylvia Gray, George’s grandmother. Sylvia ran the shop in downtown Greensboro from 1939-1997, accumulating inventory of army surplus, vintage clothing, fabric, furniture, toys, and knickknacks that eventually filled all three floors. All these things remained locked within the building after Sylvia died in 1997. In 2003, George and his collaborator, Stephanie Sherman, re-opened the doors, not as a store but as a contemporary art experiment. Artists from around the globe are invited to rummage, rearrange, and re-assemble in the 12,000 square-foot space, creating new artworks that become part of the always changing, living museum. Nothing of Sylvia’s collection leaves the space. Her extraordinary legacy is continually remade into new visions of art, collaboration, and family heritage.
“The challenge is to tap into the imaginary potential of each generation that preceded us, explore its material traces and historical conditions, and re-arrange those pieces into alternative visions for contemporary life.” — GEORGE MOSES SCHEER III
George Scheer, Executive Director, Elsewhere.
Elsewhere Wardrobe. Elsewhere is a living museum and experimental residency program set in a former thrift store in downtown Greensboro run by George's grandmother Sylvia Gray from 1939-1997.
