Institute 193 is actively raising funds to purchase a new building at 211 North Limestone, our future and permanent home in downtown Lexington.
It's two doors down from our current gallery : 1,746 square feet on the main floor, and a full basement of exactly the same footprint underneath. After years of operating across rented spaces, finding improvised solutions to storage, repair needs, and infrastructure build-outs, we can finally bring everything under one roof for the first time.
This move offers several major benefits:
- Professional-grade gallery space. As our exhibitions continue to grow in ambition and scale, we’ll now have the infrastructure to host them properly. Plywood backed walls, purpose-built lighting, and expanded exhibition space will give Southern Artists the grounding they need to produce their boldest projects.
- 1,746 square feet of basement. Proper storage for publishing inventory, archival materials, and artworks that have been scattered in storage units across the city for years. Safety and longevity for our materials, and faster, more efficient access for our team.
- Room for the rest of the program. Even more space for our expanded programming of concerts, readings, screenings, workshops, theater, and community events.
- An address with no expiration date. No landlord, no lease term, and a whole-hearted commitment to our future in Lexington. Improvements to our building become a direct investment in our future, not sunk costs in a temporary space.
Institute 193 is raising $100,000 by October 31, 2026 to cover the renovation, establish a building upkeep fund, and weather the transition between our current leases and new mortgage costs. Your contributions will ensure that we can open our new home in January 2027 with a new exhibition, a suite of community programming, and a robust, well-furnished shop space. Give today, and let’s build Institute 193’s future.
Architectural rendering of 211 N Limestone
Architectural rendering of 211 N Limestone
Architectural rendering of 211 N Limestone
Current facade of 211 N Limestone
Institute 193 volunteers after a long day of
preparing the building for renovations!
Perks
A new edition of 4 x 6 inch postcards featuring the last two years of Ceirra Evans' paintings exhibited with Institute 193. Contains work exhibited at our main gallery in Evans' 2025 show Come Rain or Shine, as well as new works created this year for the Atlanta Art Fair.
Commissioned by Institute 193's founder, Phillip March Jones, the Institute 193 Retro Bar Cap will help you relive the glory and spirit of the 1990s, even if you were too young to experience those years with an adult brain. We all had some version of this hat. Now you can too. All rights reserved. Trademarked, etc ...
At this level of donation, we will be thrilled to thank you by placing your name in vinyl on 2026's additions to our official Bathroom Wall of Honor. Guests will think fondly of your support each and every time they use the services in our new downtown Lexington gallery space.
Highlights
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A new edition of 4 x 6 inch postcards featuring the last two years of Ceirra Evans' paintings exhibited with Institute 193. Contains work exhibited at our main gallery in Evans' 2025 show Come Rain or Shine, as well as new works created this year for the Atlanta Art Fair.
Commissioned by Institute 193's founder, Phillip March Jones, the Institute 193 Retro Bar Cap will help you relive the glory and spirit of the 1990s, even if you were too young to experience those years with an adult brain. We all had some version of this hat. Now you can too. All rights reserved. Trademarked, etc ...
At this level of donation, we will be thrilled to thank you by placing your name in vinyl on 2026's additions to our official Bathroom Wall of Honor. Guests will think fondly of your support each and every time they use the services in our new downtown Lexington gallery space.
