Naomi Girson | opinions editor

A cross between a gallery and a studio, Redfishbowl is housed in Lawrenceville, up a flight of stairs away from the bustle down below.

They house studio space for a variety of artists, while selling the art created.

Chris Boles, one of the founders and owners of Redfishbowl, is proud of their more lived-in atmosphere and non-traditional space, that isn’t just standard gallery white walls throughout — the walls are multicolored and decorated with murals. Boles, along with a friend and an artist, began selling art in Delaney’s Coffee in the South Side in 2014.

The business grew from there, and after a very rainy outdoor art show, Boles finally agreed to get a brick and mortar space in 2019, moving them to their current location on Butler Street. in Lawrenceville.

They currently have about 72 artists displaying their creations, and around 30 creators use the studio space, according to Boles.

The building hosts a myriad of different events. The studio can be transformed into a dance floor, utilized as a space for bands to perform and expanded for larger events.

The rooms and walls are filled with artwork (all for sale), from pottery to vintage clothes, to more traditional paintings, with nontraditional techniques, like incorporating gold leaf or charcoal.

Pricing ranges from $1-$10 for stickers, $20 for shirts, $20 to $40 for prints and $100 to $50,00 for originals, according to Boles.

“We’re like an incubator in the sense — we have artists who are expert level, do it for living…as well as people who are just starting out. So, it’s cool to see people learn from each other, and it’s what makes us unique is we’re not just a gallery or just a studio,” Boles said.

Nikki Peña, a resident artist currently displaying paintings in the gallery, has been a part of Redfishbowl for almost four years, and really appreciates how she always feels welcome, a feeling she hasn’t always gotten at other studios.

“For some reason, you have to always get these conditional standards [at other studios]. But here it’s a community, I can just be myself, and that being said, there’s a lot more freedom too,” Peña said. “If I have a show idea, there’s more of a chance that I’ll have an opportunity to implement my ideas at a place like this, because there’s just more openness to it.”

Her artwork, as well as many others, is on display and for sale in the gallery.

John Shook, another artist, has an independent space inside the Redfishbowl, and in his gallery, titled the Endonaut, he brings in artists from around the country to work on new projects, and display their creations.

He highlighted the Redfishbowl for its premiere location in Lawrenceville, as well as their unconventional event hostings.

“There’s a lot of music driven events along with the art so I think that just by people going out and listening to live music that gives them a little thing to hold on to and think about,” Shook said.

He also said that he felt they were popular, with accolades in City Paper (listed second under “best gallery for local artists” in 2025) as well as a large social media presence (almost 10,000 followers on Instagram).

Redfishbowl runs events throughout the month, including weekly classes on Wednesdays and meet-ups between artists every Thursday, which is one of their most popular events, Boles said. They also allow other private groups to come and use the space for their own events, giving fresh faces a chance to see all the art lining the walls.

He estimated about 70% of the artists have been with them for quite a while, but the regulars are always bringing new artists around and introducing them to the Redfishbowl.

Next month, on April 11, they are hosting a monochrome, or grey scale gallery night. To have a themed night like this, as they do occasionally, Boles sends a message out to all the artists, and they normally get 30 to 40 participants.

Since it can be a challenge to create something that fits into a theme, they host three meet-ups for the artists to brainstorm, work on pieces, and help each other out with inspiration.

Along with hosting specific events to give artists an opportunity to see each other, they also give 24/7 access to their resident artists, with a combination for the key pad on the door.

Artists are able to come and go as they please, even just to stop by and pick some needed supplies. Peña, for instance, was off to teach a class, but came through to pick up her bag and say hi to Boles.

“The best thing about being here and being a resident is I’m around people who genuinely care about me, who care about art and care about the community,” Peña said.

Redfishbowl can be found at 4327 Butler St in Pittsburgh, and they are offering a free trial for Duquesne students to utilize their space, requests can be filled through their google form on The Duke online version of this article.

Naomi Girson can be reached at girsonn@duq.edu