Questions for Jennifer Campbell, new director at Crawl Space, Artist-Run Gallery
Anne Mathern and Jennifer Campbell of Crawl Space Gallery | photo by Kyle Johnson
What were you doing in Montreal? I was an exhibitions director at a gallery. I came to Seattle sort of cold turkey because my husband got a job here.
What does Canada have that Seattle doesn’t? Seattle is great, but I come from a city where the government funds artist-run centers. This offers something that commercial galleries can’t, a chance for early-career artists to be seen. Also, there are times when a mid-career artist needs to try new things out, without the pressure of needing a show that’s a big seller.
Besides money, what is the greatest challenge of running this gallery? Involving the community in ways that keep them excited. Not getting more people involved is typically the one downfall of cooperative galleries.
You’re an artist, too, right? I used to be a dancer and a gymnast, so my work is a lot about movement, using photography and video.
What has wowed you in Seattle arts? Yoko Ott’s wonderful show at Punch, Tussle in Shorthand. It tormented you and it was funny. Sometimes I think we miss out on the funny. We get bogged down by that inward-looking trend and miss the uplifting part of art.
A Whole Bunch of New Beers on the Wall
The owners of Naked City | photo by Kyle Johnson
Stand open-mouthed for long enough under the giant chalkboard at Naked City Brewery and Taphouse (8564 Greenwood Ave. N., 206.612.1753), and a friendly bartender will pour you a sample of one of twenty or so Northwest brews. Owners Don Webb and Donald Averill have more than twenty years’ combined experience in home brewing. A couple of months ago they opened the bar with a brewery in the back that’s big enough to be serious — but small enough to allow them to continue their creative experiments with recipes like “Grapes of Wrath” or the “Naked City Dubbel.”
