Business turns gallery in support of local artists
Published 7:05 pm Monday, March 6, 2017
- CALL FOR ARTISTS: Lisa Smith-Gargaro hangs a painting on the wall dedicated to local artists in Capelli Salon. Smith-Gargaro, also an artist, recognized many artists have few venues to show their work, so she provided one.
Art means business, and one local salon owner knows it.
Lisa Smith-Gargaro owns Capelli Salon on North Market Street in Washington. She and her staff offer a variety of salon services from cuts to keratin treatments, but it’s another offering that’s making the salon known as an arts supporter — and that’s the artwork on the walls.
In 2013, Smith-Gargaro took her first painting class with Lemonade Art Gallery co-owner Carol Mann. As her own body of work has grown, and she’s become a part of local art culture, she realized the plight of many artists: they have plenty of work but nowhere to display it.
“The biggest problem that local artists have in town is finding a venue to hang their artwork,” Smith-Gargaro said.
Smith-Gargaro decided to remedy that by dedicating a wall of the salon to work by local artists. Another artist, Ginger Gehres, pitched in to the effort by offering to install gallery rails, and in November 2016, Smith-Gargaro put out a call to artist friends on Facebook asking for work to display. She got plenty of response.
“It was a group effort, honestly,” Smith-Gargaro said.
Walk into Capelli Salon and along with displays of Aveda products, one will see watercolors and etchings, acrylics and silver spoon rings.
“I like the variety, and I like the different styles that everybody brings to the table,” Smith-Gargaro said.
While many other galleries must take a large commission to support the venue, Smith-Gargaro limits her commission on anything sold to 10 percent. She said that’s solely to cover purchases made through credit cards and help with her insurance.
Meanwhile, as customers wait for their turn in the chair, or wait for their color to set, they’re often browsing through a rack of prints, or flipping through the stack of individual cards that showcase Smith-Gargaro’s watercolors.
“If nothing else, it’s getting them aware of who (these people) are as artists,” she said. “I’m tickled that I could help someone get their art out there.”