The Tollbooth Gallery came and went â€" providing Tacomans with one of the most unique art spaces anywhere and finally leaving a big, gaping hole in Tacoma’s art scene. There are plans to resume operation sometime in the not-too-distant future, but so far there have been no announcements as to when that might happen.

Billed as “The World’s Smallest Gallery Dedicated Exclusively to Experimental Video and Wheat-Pasted Paper Fine Arts,” The Tollbooth was an old downtown kiosk where experimental videos were shown on an enclosed monitor with wheat paste art plastered to the sides.

It was run by Artrod, a non-profit organization founded by Jared Pappas-Kelley and Michael Lent, who also founded the short-lived Critical Line Gallery. Since Lent and Pappas-Kelly left Tacoma, The Tollbooth has been in a state of suspended animation.

Tacoma Arts Commission Administrator Amy McBride contacted Tacoma Contemporary, or TaCo, and asked if they would take over the operation of the gallery.

“It is our goal to reactivate the kiosk in a manner that continues the opportunity for innovative contemporary video,” says TaCo board member Jessica Balsam.

Balsam further states: “The TaCo board, in partnership with the City, who owns the gallery, is committed to continuing the rotating film-and-wheat paste art in the space. We are planning to run it on a call to-artists-basis rather than acting as curators.”

Details have yet to be finalized with the city, according to Board President James A. Porter. â€" Alec Clayton