COLLAPSE GALLERY CLOSES WITH FINAL EXHIBIT CHAD YENNEY: SAY IT AIN’T SO

by ron evans

After three years of hosting art shows, creative classes, poetry nights and pop-up events, Collapse Contemporary Art Gallery is closing its doors at the end of the year. The gallery was launched March of 2019 with an exhibition of renown local painter Jan Cook Mack.

Owner/curator Chad Yenney will be hosting an exhibit of his own collage and mixed media work as the swan song for the gallery this First Friday. I reached out to Yenney to chat about his time running the gallery, his upcoming exhibit and where he’s headed post-Collapse.

Talk about your initial concepts for opening Collapse Gallery - your favorite parts of running it, and maybe some challenges along the way. I noticed there seemed to be a void between fancy academic, institutional or museum spaces and places like coffee shops or restaurants that hung art. A lot of emerging artists can’t navigate the barriers to show in the fancier spaces, and most the non-traditional venues aren’t ideal showing spaces. I wanted to open a gallery that prioritized the artwork over everything else. Well lit, with enough room to let the pieces breath. Curating artists based on their actual body of work, rather than their CV, resume or arts education. My favorite thing is hanging a new exhibit and having the artist taken back by how their work looks on a white wall with some decent lighting. It’s a pretty simple thing but after creating the work in a cramped studio space, it is affirming to see the artwork in a space that honors the effort. The main challenges have been selling art and getting local interest in what we were doing.

Why have you decided to close the gallery at the end of this year? Ultimately, I wasn’t making enough money to justify keeping it open. Selling art at 30% commission never really pencilled out. But I wanted to keep our commission as low as possible. I enjoyed curating the shows and exposing art that I believe in, but at the same time I wanted community involvement and participation. Since I wasn’t really turning a profit, I looked to community enthusiasm as a marker of success. And that wasn’t strong. One thing that I learned as an artist myself is appreciation for other art galleries and the work that goes into them. Closing the gallery wasn’t an easy decision but it was the right one for me and my family.

You aren’t supposed to pick favorites, but do you have any favorite shows or memories from the years of running Collapse?

I always loved working with Jan Cook Mack, she has a great energy and is such a wonderful talent. I enjoyed bringing friends I’d made at zine fests and other art shows, I was able to get collage buddies from all over to do shows here. I love the Punch peeps from Thorpe. I also enjoyed doing classes with Rachel Courtney, and life drawing with Nena Howell.

Along with the gallery, you rented out some studio space to a few working artists, including the late Robert Wilson. Talk about having Wilson as an ongoing presence in the space. Robert was an amazing guy and a very dedicated artist. He put in the time and took his work pretty seriously. It was inspirational to see his compositions progress. While he and Lindsay Breidenthal shared a space I was able to see their pieces in different stages of development. I was able to witness that process, I loved that Robert and Lindsay both had strong voices, that were very different but complimentarily in the sense that they were both working to better their work and constantly pushing themselves. Like a lot of people, I miss Robert, and when

I learned of his passing, my first thought was “I didn’t spend enough time talking with him.”

What are your plans for the building moving forward?

After Lindsay moved out we had P2X Studio, a video, photo, design company move in. I told them I was closing and they asked if they could rent the gallery space for their company. So they are moving from the basement to the main floor starting this January.

In an announcement email you sent out - you mentioned this was the end of the Wenatchee location of Collapse Gallery. Was that a subtle hint that a new location is at least a possibility down the road?

Yeah, in the short term I want to continue some online gallery stuff and down the road who knows what might happen? I’ve had some friends telling me to move the gallery to other towns, but I dunno.

You have continued to produce your own art while you were running the gallery, talk about that process and where your current work is heading stylistically.

It’s been interesting as an artist running a gallery. Seeing what other people do, what is selling and then reflecting on my own work. I’ve been doing some pieces based on opioid addiction, fossil fuels, gun violence. I’m doing weirdo art that has a somewhat limited appeal, toddlers holding assault rifles isn’t something that pairs well with a ‘Live Laugh Love’ sign.

Tell us about the final show you have coming up.

Our last show is called ‘Say it ain’t so’. I was trying to think of funny show titles for a gallery that is closing. ‘Goodbye cruel world’ was my top choice, but decided against it to avoid triggering anyone. It will be a solo show for my work. I have a lot of newer pieces as well as some oldies. All collage based mixed media with a surrealism lean.

Will you be open all December long or is the First Friday opening the end?

We’ll be open all month. Selling art, display stuff, easels, frames and furniture.

Any events (artist wise) coming up? Gallery Ergo -Seattle December 9th Baton Rouge Gallery January 3rd

Social media/web links: Instagram.com/Collapse_gallery Instagram.com/chadyenney