My Business: UVic grad starts tiny, mighty art gallery
Sarah Campbell dedicates the micro gallery in Nelson to pop surrealism—and “strange eye candy”
We profile enterprises run by UVic alumni.
Name: Sarah Campbell, owner
UVic degrees: BFA in Visual Arts from UVic (also a BEd from UBC)
My business: LEVITY Micro Gallery
Where it’s located: Nelson, BC
What we do: LEVITY is a new pop surrealism art gallery. It’s big ideas in a tiny space!
Our team is: made up of Sarah Campbell and Christopher Millin.
Why we’re unique: We focus on showcasing art that doesn’t always have a place in conventional art galleries. We will feature a rotating collection of curated art that speaks to our frenetic dystopian culture in a whimsical, lighthearted manner.
Our ideal customer is: Someone looking to go on an adventure of imagination. We’re having a special show of “micro minis,” with small paintings all priced at $200 or under.
Our business mantra: Step out of reality, step into LEVITY.
I wasn’t expecting… The amount of artists submissions we’d receive for our opening show.
Right now, our biggest challenge is: how to fit as much amazing art as possible into 160 square feet of space. It’s a great challenge to have. The space is part of the historic Burns building built in 1899—a headquarters for a beef baron known as the cattle king. We loved the idea of converting a former butcher shop into a place for thought-provoking art.
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We’ll know we’re successful when: When we have return visitors coming to the gallery, specifically to check out the latest exhibition because they enjoyed their last visit so much. We plan to have three solo shows a year, as well as group and themed shows. I’ve always wanted to fund and curate an art gallery dedicated to pop surrealism and strange eye candy.
Bottom line: Art is for everyone. It’s for the six year old walking down the sidewalk who is drawn is by the colours. It’s for the teenager who might not have the words, but relates to the energy of the art. It’s for the dad who brings in his sons to pick out a print for their bedroom. It’s an avenue for every person to experience the imagination of another, and in turn have their own minds fired up as well.
Where to find us:
566 Baker St. Nelson BC
levitymicrogallery.com
Insta @levitymicrogallery
Email art@levitymicrogallery.com