Q&A with Leah Jackson of Angst Gallery

by Krissy Rowan, August 20, 2010

Q: Tell me a little about yourself. Where did you grow up? Where did you go to school?
A: I was born in Portland, then my family moved north to the Puget Sound and then after graduation high school I attended University of Washington and earned a degree in Anthropology.

Q: Are you yourself an artist, or a gallery owner, or both?
A: Both. I currently have a show at WSUV showcasing my photography that I shot traveling. During my travels, I took a lot of images of graffiti, so the pictures are graffiti based.

Q: Tell me more about your art and your involvement with the gallery scene.
A: My passion is in metal work and jewelry. Eight years ago I took an art welding class at Clark because I have always wanted to learn how to weld. My dad is a motorcycle and automobile repair guy. I really enjoyed the art welding class and through the college, I made friends with individuals who were really interested in building an art community in Vancouver. And after having a lot of discussions, we formed a group called Mosaic Arts Alliance, and from this alliance, in 2004, we created Sixth Street Gallery, where I was the gallery director for three years.

Q: What other jobs have you held?
A: After I left the Sixth Street Gallery, I started at the Clark County Historical Museum. Under the direction of the Museum Director, Susan Tissot, I worked with a team of individuals to put together an exhibit titled "Boomer." The exhibit received the Award of Excellence in 2009 by the Washington Museum Association. This was my first exhibit that I curated from start to finish. The Exhibit focused on the Baby Boomer Era and allowed people to bring in items from the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s. It was very fun to put together.

Q: How did you come to open the Angst Gallery?
A: In 2008, the Landlord that owned the Sixth Street Gallery purchased the Kiggins Building and started telling me I should open a gallery in the space. He showed up at the Museum one day and gave me the keys and I brought my kids down to the building and I told them if they weren’t into it, I wasn’t going to do it. They were excited about it, so I did it, and we opened the gallery November 1, 2008.

Q: How did you go about opening a gallery?
A: I gathered together the artists I know and I was excited about having them showcase their work and I also reached out to people that I didn’t know, but liked their work. I invited them to participate and now we have about 26 artists that show on a regular basis. The idea was always that once I opened the gallery I would start doing my own art again, because I have a studio in there, but that has not happened. As soon as I really got settled, the space next door opened and I started a new adventure.

Q: Tell me about your new adventure of opening a wine bar next door.
A: Part of the reason I am really excited about this is because I believe wine is like art, it is very subjective, but there is good wine and bad wine, good art and bad art. And like the gallery, I want the wine to be approachable, making people feel comfortable learning about wine. Or if they already know about wine, I want them to come in and know they can get a good glass. It seemed like a natural progression. And I love music and the space will allow live music and spoken word. So there will be art on the walls, good wine, lots of yummy food and music. I hope to have a grand opening in September.

Q: Do you feel like you are supported by the community?
A: Very much so. The project of opening up the wine bar would be very hard to do on my own. There are so many people who have painted, scrubbed floors, done cabinetry work. A lot of people have worked on the place. It was a true collaboration.

Q: What would you like to change about the art community in Vancouver?
A: There is a lot of art in Clark County and it would be exciting if the people that are here would be proud of the fact that they are from Clark County and be creating art. Not that Portland isn’t wonderful, because it is wonderful. I think people have the habit of saying they are from Portland and I think it would be cool if people would say they are from Vancouver and be proud of that.

The Angst Gallery is located at 1015 Main Street, in Vancouver. The gallery is open Wednesday to Saturday, noon to 5:00 pm or by appointment by calling, 360-253-1742.

Photography: Krissy Rowan © 2010 SWCA