It’s been a long three years or so since a worthy art venue enjoyed a space on Jackson Street in the Old Market, but that drought is about to end. Following on the heels of the former and sorely missed Jackson Artworks and the estimable Anderson O’Brien, which moved to Midtown Crossing, is the new kid on the block, the Jackson Street Pop-up Gallery.
Located at 1407 Jackson St., just east of The Max, is “a one-time gallery space to represent local artists who bring fresh and original designs to the local scene” says gallery spokesperson and artist Richard Chung. The venue’s kick-off, pop-up opens this Friday, Nov. 5, from 6-9 p.m. featuring former and current assistants of the Jun Kaneko Studio.
The untitled show curated by Mari Dailey includes the following artists working in ceramics, drawing, painting, mixed media, glass and working: Peter Scherr, Danielle Morgan,Todd McCollister, Trevor Lare, Nicholas Jacobsen, Mike Hurley, Mari Dailey, Richard Chung and Jamie Burmeister. Although not all of the above may be household names, their acceptance and experience in the Kaneko studio bodes well for the return of art to the Jackson Street art crawl.
True to form, while there are no guarantees or schedule of future pop ups at 1407, Chung said that the core group of artists hope to provide Omaha with more to discover. Pop-ups can be a great source of surprise and experiment, but it’s been a while since the likes of what team Joel Damon/Josh Powell offered has been seen on either side of the Missouri River. Perhaps that rather predominant signage at 1407 is a portent of things to come on Jackson Street once again.
The inaugural exhibit of Jackson Street Pop Up, at 1407 Jackson St. opens Friday, Nov. 5 from 6-9 p.m. and continues until Nov. 20. Gallery hours Tuesday-Saturday 2-8pm or by appointment.