Going behind the scenes at the Bazar Odditorium
The Tomorrow Building is an appropriate name for the structure that houses one of Chattanooga's newest and most exciting art galleries.
Situated within the Palace Theater, the Bazar Odditorium is a boutique style gallery that focuses on the art of women and other historically marginalized groups. The space features the work of local, regional, and national artists.
A progressive gallery that showcases work which has traditionally been discriminated against by the art establishment might seem like a risky business endeavor, but Bazar has encountered nothing but success. This is largely due to the efforts of their curator, artist and entrepreneur Alecia Vera Buckles.
A native Chattanoogan and graduate of UTC's Fine Art Department, Buckles organizes a constantly rotating exhibition of work by over 30 artists from all over the country. Her aim is to highlight local artists while bringing in work that you don't typically see in the south.
The gallery currently shows work by New York based artists Kenneth Kudulis, Gaby Caloca, and Heidi Vasterling; Los Angeles based Katie Holden; Rome, Georgia's Amera Skullfield; Nashville based Beizar Aradini; Atlanta's Spacewaste; and they will soon be adding new work from the Pacific Northwest.Featured local artists are Bean & Bailey, Caley & Jillian, Meri Wright, Alana Questell, Clay Hardwick, Loretta Schools, Friendly Funny Face, Lucy White, Sweet Sue, Brass and Pebble, Erica Scoggins, Heather Marie, Ady Caloca, Sarah Malone, Morgan Koch, Ashley Hamilton, Tara Hamilton, Adara Bauman, Maudlyn, Jerett Offut, and Buckles herself.
Bazar started during the transformation of re-opening The Palace Theater. “We started batting back and forth ideas of having a gallery in the lobby,” Buckles explains. “The owner, Rose, asked me if I would be interested in curating. It was something I had never done before. I said 'Yes, I definitely want to try.' We just rolled with it, and I happened to know enough people to make it work.”
She continues, “In my mind, I have always had the idea of running a shop. My eventual goal is to move into retail and wholesale of various artists—to still highlight the fine art element, but make it more of a market for artists who are focusing on production, rather than just a gallery space.”
They are letting the gallery unfold the way it is, and spending time creating events to bring people in to see the work that is on the walls—sculpting events to grow the space in general, to bring in new clientele. “We're just gonna let it be this organic thing,” she says. “We have it up and running, and now I'm taking time to mingle in the community and reach out to artists in different places.”
Talking about her curating process, she tells us, “We sell most of our work during events, and you can purchase it right off of the wall. That has been the biggest challenge for me as a curator. When you curate the work, you position it in a certain way that looks good, but when a piece comes off the wall, there's a blank space. I have been keeping a back stock of people's work, so as soon as something is sold, I can replace it with another piece.”Buckles is constantly putting new work on the walls, and constantly featuring new work by the artists.
“I change things out frequently so that everything is a little bit different for every event, so it doesn't get stale,” she says. “Even though we don't have rotating shows, the walls kind of start to shift and change, when pieces are purchased or picked up. I leave it up to the artist how long they want to leave their work with us. The work might be taken down for a bit, then re-introduced based on new work that comes in and what looks good.”
The price point for original art ranges from $1 for a temporary tattoo, to thousands of dollars for pieces that have been featured on a national level. There is a range of style and content, a little something for everybody. “Whether you want to see some local craft art, or just fine art in general, we encompass that diversity,” Buckles explains.
Bazar's main goal is to create revenue for the artists, which is why the prices vary so much. They are focused on creating sustainable careers for artists, and in the future they will be showing more work on shelves, making it a 50/50 retail space and gallery.
Artists who are interested in exhibiting can contact Buckles on Facebook @BazarArtHouse, on Instagram @bazar_odditorium, via email at aleciabuckles@gmail.com, or by visiting the gallery at 818 Georgia Ave, #118.