After 15 years in the Belltown neighborhood, Roq La Rue Gallery will be joining the Pioneer Square crowd. Roq owner Kirsten Anderson found out about three weeks ago that her landlord needed the space for a more lucrative use. No hard feelings, she emailed: "I can't really blame them, I was getting a real good deal on rent."

But she was a little panicked, looking for a new place. The very next day she found one: a magically airy place that's "very gallery-esque already," with 15-foot ceilings, at 532 First Avenue South (near King Street, which is one block south of Jackson). In addition to the white cube of the main gallery area, she's creating an upstairs "project room" for smaller exhibitions.

"Excited about this transition happening right on the eve of Roq La Rue's 15th anniversary, we decided to get the gallery properly built out as fast as possible and host our May show in the new exhibition space," Anderson wrote.

The grand opening is May 2, First Thursday Art Walk, with an exhibition by local painter Stacey Rozich.