What do you call the negative space of a business after hours, with its lights turned down and its furniture pushed aside? Artwork speckles the walls where in daylight, merchandise perches on shelves instead; nests of wires reach out towards decks of synthesizers instead of a cash register. What possibilities lie in the spaces we abandon outside business hours?

That's exactly what 801 Salon is investigating. The new monthly arts exhibition at Vis. Optics near 9th and 9th is bringing Bay Area arts tactics to SLC—and so far, their efforts have been pretty dazzling.

801 Salon is the brainchild of Roxanne Gray and Stephen Lundquist, friends who met while living in the Bay Area in California, both with a passion for the arts that would find a novel new home once both relocated to SLC over the last few years. While Gray went to school out here in Utah, she spent her time in San Francisco and the East Bay presenting her work as a choreographer and dancer, and learning about the barriers that both dancers and other artists face when it comes to presenting their work.

"In a place where real estate is so expensive in general, people were finding ways to show work, and a lot of the studios around there would have salons where they would just open up one of the dance studios and hold a performance in it," Gray explains. "And it was one of the first few times in my career that I saw the value of dance not on a stage. You don't need to have a polished performance on a pristine stage with lighting and everything—just people creating work and finding places to show it."

"I moved here thinking it would be cool to have something like that here. The Salt Lake Community has so many cool things happening, and I just wanted to tap into that community. I know that every kind of art is looking for space."

Enter, the space. "He's built a really really cool thing at Vis.," Gray says of Lundquist's beautiful, minimal shop. "It's one of a kind, they sell frames that are not even sold anywhere else in the U.S., ... they have independent designers. They have people who come from other states to find these frames, because he's built this really cool space where anything goes."

Gray's husband played a role in helping design the shop, and it was during that time that Gray realized she and Lundquist shared a common goal. "He's an optometrist, but he's also just very interested in the arts," she says. "Stephen wanted to have a space to sell his glasses that would be beautiful and also modular. He wanted to be able to move the furniture aside ... to somehow make it a space where other things could happen. So we were like, 'Wait a minute, we both have the same idea, let's make it happen.'"

"I think that it's a cool thing to think about, a commercial space being opened up to the arts, not for profit," says Gray of Lundquist's decision to use Vis. after-hours as a multi-purpose art space. "It's a commercial space that's given away. I think that in this capitalist society, it's a cool thing happening there. It's a great asset to the community."

So far, that opening up has resulted in Gray making a lot of new connections, mainly by cold calls. She landed on local visual artist Andrew Alba first. Then, it was the synth pop duo Angel Magic, whom Gray had hosted once for a backyard show at her home in Oakland; for the 801 date, they asked if they could tack on their friend Bobo. Both of those first shows had great attendance, and they kept the ball rolling in November with two showings of a 40-minute series of modern dance performances. December brought a gifty pop up from Klaus Haus, and for this month's salon, Ty Davis will bring a little bit of everything. "Ty Davis oozes talent of all kinds," says Gray. "He does creative direction, styling, graphic design, music, just everything." So he'll be doing a lot of that on Saturday, Jan. 15, while performing his lo-fi hyperpop under the moniker Breaker.

In 801 Salon's future, Gray wants to push donations more for artists, since the shows themselves are free. For now, keeping it free means keeping the message that the business of Vis. is not trying to make money off the artists—but Gray still wants them to feel supported.

"My dream would be to have a dedicated space someday, so I could do more than 12 shows a year. It's fun to see what's out there, and I really do try to cater to every community in Salt Lake and I hope that that comes across," she says. "A big part of our mission is to support established artists and emerging artists. We have several artists this year who have actually never had a show before, and it's been great to find ways to encourage and support them on their journey."

To keep up with 801 Salon's monthly appearances at Vis. Optics, visit @801.salon on Instagram, and don't miss Ty Davis on Saturday, Jan. 15.