Moscow Contemporary debuted its first exhibition Friday in the former Prichard Art Gallery space. The gallery officially split from the University of Idaho in August and formed an independent nonprofit under the new name.

Led by Roger Rowley, the former director of the Prichard, the organization has received more than $100,000 in donations from the community in just a couple months. Rowley says it’s more money than the Prichard ever had in donations.

“We’re still in our infancy of even going out and asking people,” Rowley said. “These donations are from people who are either close or simply paying attention to what’s happening. We have yet to do a campaign-style fundraiser.”

The new exhibition is called “A line into the future,” featuring drawings from Gerald Exline on paper and canvas, with some even painted directly onto the gallery wall. The works are accompanied by excerpts from Exline on drawing and architecture.

Rowley says the contemporary artist was a perfect fit for the nonprofit’s first exhibition, which is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. today.

“I heard him talking about how, with art, you start with a single line,” Rowley said. “Well, we’re a brand-new organization, starting with a single line.”

The first Saturday the nonprofit took possession of the building, the gallery was closed and Rowley was inside adjusting to being in the space after having been gone for several months. The university decided not to renew his contract when it expired nearly one year ago.

While sitting at the front desk, just after the Moscow Farmers Market ended for the day, he saw Exline and his daughter peer through the windows. Without knowing who they were, Rowley invited them to come in. Exline’s daughter quickly revealed how much her father loves to draw.

“When I put a single line on a piece of paper, I’ve shown my whole existence in that one line,” Exline said. “If you make a line, it comes out of your fingertips.”

Exline graduated from the University of Illinois and Columbia University before becoming a professor of architecture at the former. He was also a fellow at the University of Illinois Center for Advanced Studies, where he used his discoveries with drawing to design architecture for future cities.

He compared drawing to leaving a fingerprint.

“Nobody else can duplicate that,” Exline said. “Every time I do it, I bump into some ideas I’ve never seen before.”

Moscow Contemporary has not yet been granted nonprofit status, but Rowley expects it to happen sometime in January if the IRS stays on schedule. The process usually takes about six months.

For now, it’s operating without some of the perks offered to nonprofit organizations, like tax exemptions and reduced postal rates. However, the gallery can still raise money in the meantime.

“They say you’re supposed to act like a nonprofit while they decide,” Rowley said. “So, we can still accept donations.”

The university no longer plays a role in funding the space. However, the new nonprofit was able to purchase the entire contents of the gallery, including equipment like computers, projectors and the gift-shop inventory for a reasonable rate.

UI has plans to move its art gallery, which will likely still be called the Prichard, to the downtown building currently housing the Moscow Police Department. The Prichard has showcased visiting and local artists for 35 years.

Roger says he has no qualms about the university taking the name with it. Ted Prichard, whom the gallery was named after, became UI’s first professor of architecture in 1926.

“That was the right thing to do,” he said. “The fact that they want to keep the name makes sense.”

Rowley said there’s still much organization-building to do. Next week, he will be honored as one of the recipients of the Governor’s Awards in the Arts for his work as executive director of the Prichard.

With the help of Sonja Foard, former assistant director at the Prichard, Rowley said he’s more than willing to take on the new responsibilities.

Since the nonprofit took over the space at 414 S. Main St. it’s had to pay for garbage, electricity and other expenses that were once absorbed by the university. The nonprofit is also tackling a significant number of improvements to the building.

“We want to build an organization based on excellence and that’s built for the long haul,” he said. “We’re not cutting corners and we’re not trying to do things on the cheap.”

Once the gallery transitioned from university ownership, they began upgrading the internet, installing an alarm system, fixing the front door and replacing the desk near the entryway, among other improvement projects.

Rowley said they’ve had a fair amount of help from volunteers in getting things set up.

“We have plans for how we can use this facility to enrich the entirety of the community,” he said, before quoting Winston Churchill. “Make no small plans.”

Moscow Contemporary will continue hosting roughly five exhibitions a year, including an annual showcase of graduate student art. Rowley said they’ll also continue offering educational programs for children and adults.

If things fall into place, he says the gallery will be booked through the summer of 2023.

“I actually feel quite excited,” Rowley said. “What we’ve been able to pull together for this coming year, from now through the next few years, looks pretty damn good.”

Palermo can be reached at apalermo@dnews.com or on Twitter @apalermotweets.