My old gallery in Vancouver closed today, another victim of the pandemic. It was a bit wobbly at the best of times, as is often the case with collectives. It was a subleased space in an ancient building with a touchy alarm system, an absolutely hazardous back room toilet, and a nearly nonexistent clientele, but it was ours and we petted it and fed it and called it “Angst.”
Once run by the owner of Niche Wine Bar next door, the Mosaic Arts Alliance leased and ran Angst Gallery for the last year and a half.
It was maybe 20 feet upstream from where the average downtown shopper would turn around and head back to their car, the parking meter ticking ominously in their heads. But those who didn’t turn around at the old theater ticket booth were treated to an eclectic collection, from folk art to intricate pen-and-ink, to masterful watercolors, and sophisticated abstracts. I didn’t mind putting in my time as gallery salesperson. It was often dead quiet on weekdays. I could do some writing and get to know the works up close, something that artists can miss when they are focused on their own work. I learned something from everyone in our collective, either by observing their ways or their work. The fact that I looked forward to working there, not for the sales opportunities but for the quiet moments with the art, says something about both me and the future of the gallery.
The closing of a gallery is not unique news; it happens all the time. But we should always take note of what we are losing and hope that another outpost of heartfelt art soon pops up in its place. “Soon” is probably best contemplated with a longer perspective –not necessarily geological time but with the span of the pandemic in mind. In the meantime, don’t forget to visit your favorite online gallery. Oops, you already have.
The artists of Mosaic Arts Alliance who ran Angst Gallery over the last year and a half will continue to make art and find imaginative ways to sell it, whether on restaurant walls or through a new online outlet. I miss them now that I live 162 miles away. I will post news about Mosaic Arts Alliance’s online offerings when they are up and running. You will be amazed.
Now this.
A little sneak peak of a what’s on my easel this summer.