 "Photo: Photo by Chris Steinert")
Jambalaya is a Southern dish usually made up of a mixture of different ingredients and flavors. The same name is appropriately given to a local art gallery that showcases different kinds of art by a variety of artists.
The Jambalaya Co-Op, located on Main Street in downtown Oshkosh, has been around for about eight years and is a place for artists to display their artwork alongside other artists in the area.
The gallery is essentially one big room covered in art. In every corner there is something to see and most of the wall space is covered. Music and strings of lights help bring a relaxed feel to the space.
David Kelley, an organizer of the Co-Op, is a graduate of UW-Oshkosh and an artist himself. He said in order to become a member of the gallery artists have to pay 55 dollars a month, and they have to meet two requirements.
“You have to have a good heart, and you have to make something,” Kelley said. “It’s group of artists that come from all different walks of life; we have college students to young emerging professional artists to older people who just love making things.”
Each member has a wall or a “cubby” in the studio that houses a variety of different types of art; ranging from paintings and potteries to jewelry and sculptures. Kelley said they are always looking for new people to join and bring their creative energy into the mix.
“We just want to offer a place where people can come and express themselves and be honest with themselves,” Kelley said. “To share what they make with the world and have a good time doing it.”
Something Jambalaya takes part in is the Oshkosh Gallery Walk that happens every month on the first Saturday of the month. Businesses in the downtown area showcase all different types of artwork, and Kelley was one of the people who started the Gallery Walk.
He said it was in response to the community seeing a need for a place to exhibit artwork created by local artists and university students. When it started there were only about 10 or 11 businesses involved, and now there are over 45 that take part in it.
“A typical gallery walk can bring anywhere from 500 to 1,500 people here,” Kelley said. “I really think it has revitalized Oshkosh. It’s like a heartbeat or a cornerstone of the art community and an art movement that’s happening downtown.”
For the gallery walk, Jambalaya tries to find something new or different to do for the community. For the upcoming holiday season and the next gallery walk, each member of Jambalaya is going to paint on a bottle of wine and then auction them off. Other events have been charities or something visitors may participate in.
“In the back of the building, during the summer months, we have a patio courtyard thing, and we have music and canvases for people to paint on,” Kelley said.
Kelley has been all over the world and he said the people and art in Oshkosh are like something he’s never seen before. He thinks everyone is receptive of any kind of art.
“People just love it,” Kelley said. “I think they are really, really good artists that I haven’t seen in other places in my travels.”
Along with the studio space, members have access to a studio upstairs where they can work in.
Also upstairs is something called the “art cathedral,” which is one entire room covered in paint. More than 30 artists have contributed to it, and new things are added to the cathedral all the time.
“I just love that from every perspective you can see something different,” Kelley said.
Artist Chris Antonelli has been a part of Jambalaya for about two years and heard of the gallery from a friend of his, who encouraged him to display his artwork there. He describes his artwork as “crazy and all over the place” and some people call him a folk artist.
“I just love doing art. It’s a great hobby, and I love to paint,” Antonelli said.
Antonelli said he has met some great people through Jambalaya, and he loves being a part of it. He said with new people constantly being added to the gallery, it makes for a great show.
“It’s awesome; every time we do a gallery showing it gets better and better,” Antonelli said. “We’re just here to try to have a good time. Anyone that walks into Jambalaya, they should have a good time also.”
He encourages people to come even if you don’t know that much about art. It is a very relaxed atmosphere. He said people will still be making art as long as they can, so you should give it a chance.
“Hopefully your eyes will develop and everyone will like the art that is here,” Antonelli said.
Kelley explains that the kind of art found at Jambalaya is not art that is too stuffy or pretentious. It’s just a mix of whoever comes in and whatever they create.
“I really think that the Jambalaya is like art with teeth,” Kelley said. “You name it underneath the sun, we’ve had in here.”
He explained how the name of the gallery is so fitting with the food it shares a name with.
“Each member brings their little piece to it, and we make this great big soup every month and invite anyone to come down here,” Kelley said. “Just come on down and take a look-see. We are very receptive.”
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