There’s a new temporary arts space titled but, also on Georgia Avenue — and in its latest exhibit, organizers are aiming to please some of the toughest critics around: cats. The show, which opened last week, features sculptural yet functional cat towers designed and built by five artists, and available to take home as pieces of usable art.

Part gallery, part pop-up showroom, and part virtual space, but, also provides unique opportunities and resources for artists, as well as an unexpected and playful experience for art lovers and collectors. Shows so far have included a poster exhibit, a storefront of customized tote bags, and a “fire sale” for artists to clear old work out of their studios.

Founders and friends Nancy Daly and Rex Delafkaran launched but, also in February as an extension of their multidisciplinary artistic careers. Delafkaran works in sculpture, dance, and performance art, and Daly has a background in photography, graphic design, electronic media, and teaching. They’ve both worked on the administrative and programming side of galleries and other local arts organizations, and have used that knowledge to inform their business model.

“We’re coming out of an environment where there was a lot of, ‘that’s not how that works,’ or, ‘you can’t do that,’” says Daly. Now the pair are free to switch up the traditional gallery structure and experiment with different ways of running an arts space. But, also was originally planned to be a side project, but both founders were unexpectedly laid off from their day jobs last winter.

“The fact that [but, also] became full time probably opened up more possibilities for what we’ve been able to do,” Delafkaran says. The pair moved their focus to the gallery, and set up a Kickstarter campaign to help secure operational funds, where they surpassed their $6,500 goal. They rented the cozy space from Georgia Avenue restaurateur Max Zuckerman, who has previously leased the space to other creative enterprises like the Lemon Collective.

Knowing firsthand how demanding it can be for artists to apply to shows and try to break into the gallery world, the founders have tried to make but, also shows as accessible as possible for artists. Application fees or written artist statement essays are not required, and the founders have assembled their shows by putting out open calls for work on Instagram. For the first show, an open call for poster designs, the founders helped connect artists to local studios like Pyramid Atlantic Art Center where they could print multiples of their work.

Costs for artists can quickly add up, so but, also lends assistance where they can. Artwork that doesn’t sell is sent back to the artist, rather than requiring the artist to pay for shipping as most galleries would. Kickstarter contributions covered the blank tote bags that artists customized for the tote bag show. And for the current exhibit but, also: cats, the gallery gave each artist $150 up front for materials, and artists will also receive a percentage of the final sale. “It’s really important to us that any way that we can pay the artists for the labor, we do,” Daly says.

“Being an artist is also being an administrator, also being a business, also working at Trader Joes for a couple years, all these different things,” Delafkaran says, explaining that even the name of the gallery is a reference to all the tasks and projects that artists and creatives have to juggle. She wants but, also to be “a fun, cool, and low-cost way to earn some side income and support your primary practice.”

Daly mentions that during the coronavirus pandemic “it’s been hard for [artists] to make work, emotionally,” and projects like the tote bags offered a lower-stakes way to continue making art and making sales. Their third show, Controlled Burn: A Fire Sale, was organized around the prompt of getting rid of existing work, which removed the burden of producing new work or putting together a cohesive one-person show. Twenty-four artists packed the walls with everything from oil paintings to porcelain plates to a jerry rigged See n’ Say, and 62% of the works sold. (Unsold artwork from some of the past shows is still available on but, also’s website.)

A combination of free timed appointments and open hours allowed viewers to visit the physical space. Initially but, also was planned for a three-month run on Georgia Avenue, but there’s been enough interest and foot traffic that they have already passed that deadline and plan to stay in the space until the end of the year.

Regardless of whether they remain in the same spot, relocate elsewhere, or carry on exclusively in cyberspace, Daly and Delefkaran want to continue their multidisciplinary, multi-hyphenate experiment.

“We’re going to make stuff, we’re going to have a good time making them, we’re going to sell them so people can use them,” Delafkaran says. “It’s yet another component to the many ways that we’re artists.”

But, also is located at 3015 Georgia Ave NW.