East Austin Gallery grayDUCK Does a Farewell “Dress Rehearsal”

At the recent Yuliya Lanina “Dress Rehearsal” opening, guests wove in and out of the surreal and often macabre work, gabbing happily. Jill Schroeder stood at the gallery’s center, barely able to move more than a foot in any direction, greeting folks and kindly gesturing to the exhibition. But everyone wanted to talk about the news. After 16 years, grayDUCK gallery is closing.

“I’m really confident in the decision that I made … I can’t really say that there was one thing. It’s been years that I’ve been toying with the idea.” Schroeder is unexpectedly animated as I broach the subject. “It’s been little things, over time. You know, the stuff I don’t like to do started to become more [of the job],” she says, citing the all-encompassing nature of curating, installing, and showing upward of 11 exhibitions annually. When asked whether the rising living costs had informed the decision to shutter, Schroeder was clear: “No, not at all.” The gallery itself had proved self-sustaining, toeing the line between both for-profit and nonprofit. This intersection offered artists tremendous leeway to show in a commercial space while experimenting. “I just wanted to show the art I wanted to show,” she says, “without having to worry about selling or not. I feel like I gave artists more freedom, in that I’m not providing any pressure.” In looking around the gallery at Lanina’s “Dress Rehearsal,” Schroeder’s encouraging curatorial direction is clear – and has been one of the many driving forces behind grayDUCK’s success and reputation. 

Artists like Yoonmi Nam, Michael Anthony Garcia, Elizabeth Chiles, and Hector Hernandez have shown at grayDUCK repeatedly. In turn, the larger Austin audience saw these artists mature and evolve over time and it deepened the connection these artists had with the city. Schroeder also helped scale exhibitions to include very intentionally, accessibly priced work. Many of grayDUCK’s exhibitions featured pieces or prints that were only $300. Schroeder asserts, “I wanted to be the place where someone bought their first piece of art.” 

Before grayDUCK’s doors officially close later this month, Schroeder has two final pieces of programming planned. Firstly, Lanina’s performance on September 13. The work “explores how we carry our childhood selves with us, and how creative practice allows us to transform our experiences, including the painful ones,” says Lanina. The piece is titled I Will Always Love You and the artist remarks, “I chose the title some time ago, but with Dolly Parton’s passing, it suddenly carries an unexpected new meaning.” Apt, given that Schroeder’s second event is a wake for the gallery, which is also doubling as the closing for “Dress Rehearsal.” “I feel like wakes are kind of a celebration,” the curator says. “It’s the party [that] you have to talk about the person and old times, and you laugh and reminisce … we’ll have punch and cookies!” And yet for all the enthusiasm of our conversation, Schroeder’s voice hitches and her eyes start to glass with tears: “I didn’t want to close the gallery by myself. I wanted to have people around.” 

It’s an impossibility that Schroeder could ever have seen grayDUCK off alone. The space and the work has meant too much to too many. So consider this your official invitation. Come say goodbye – in style (“Wear black!” says the host) – and offer well wishes for the next chapter. grayDUCK is taking flight for the last time.

This article appears in September 11 • 2026.