There’s just something fun about weird; people are drawn to the strange and unusual by nature,” Georgie D’Kay observes, as we discuss Devilstrip Dolly’s, her soon-to-open art gallery in Akron. D’Kay is no stranger to the alternative art scene: She makes and sells horror dolls and other macabre artwork and actively promotes the “Keep Akron Weird” movement. Byopening what she envisions as an “anti-gallery,” she wants to provide a home for the offbeat and macabre artists who have had difficulty finding acceptance and promotion for their work in more mainstream artistic circles and marketplaces. “Most people are drawn to the unusual, whether they want to admit it or not … so it’s a mystery to me why there aren’t more opportunities for us,” she says. D’Kay met many oddball artisans without a permanent place to call their own when she began participating in arts-and-craft shows in the region. She traces the idea for Devilstrip Dolly’s back to her first experience with Oddmall: Emporium of the Weird, coordinated by Andy Hopp in Hudson, where she realized how fun the alternative art community was. “But at the end of the show, we have to pack up and go our separate ways — back to selling online, Etsy, whatever,” she says. “I kept thinking that we needed a place to call our own.” D’Kay’s husband, Kal Mullens — “he’s a bit of a creative weirdo himself” — helped her take Devilstrip Dolly’s from daydream to brick-and-mortar. The name and the focus of Devilstrip Dolly’s are firmly rooted in Akron’s local identity and talent. For the gallery’s name, D’Kay says, “I wanted something that says ‘Akron’ and struck a nostalgic, affectionate chord. When the term ‘devil strip’ popped into my head, I knew that was it. I was born in Akron, I am proud of Akron, and I’d like to focus on local talent.” Visitors can expect to see artwork and oddities, primarily from the local pool of artists, in addition to different weekend events. The first is a Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School event on March 31, and D’Kay is also planning WeirdFest 2012 for May 26. This all-day, outdoor affair will feature work by select artisans and may become an annual event. Details are still in the works, but D’Kay promises “food, fun and a few surprises.” An active promoter of the “Keep Akron Weird” initiative, D’Kay says, “It’s my way of reminding everyone that Akron is, and always has been, a weird and wonderful place. Great music, great art, wickedly talented people have been born here — and proportionately, a lot more than most cities can boast.” She’s enthusiastic about the local submissions for Devilstrip Dolly’s, too. “The talent that’s been hiding underneath the mainstream here is awe-inspiring,” she says. “We want to create an atmosphere of the unexpected,” she says. “Dolly’s has one rule for artisans: Keep it weird. Visitors may see offbeat jewelry, creepy cute monsters or robots, disturbing paintings and sketches, or downright macabre and gory sculptures. You just never know.” Artist submissions for WeirdFest and/or Devilstrip Dolly’s can be submitted in person or via e-mail at devilstripdollys@gmail.com. Starting with the grand opening on March 3, those drawn to the strange and bizarre can step into the imagination of Northeast Ohio’s weirdest talent at 923 Bank Street, next to the Bomb Shelter vintage store. Keeping Akron weird just got a little easier. www.devilstripdollys.com www.artbygeorgie.com