Downtown storefront gallery and shop in Mount Vernon offers a space for creativity and contemplation
The huge picture windows of the gallery at 512 S. First Street in downtown Mount Vernon beg the casual pedestrian to enter the door and discover what’s inside.
On any given day, there might be gigantic birds’ nests or shiny crystals or weavings that cover an entire wall.
“I immediately felt I had discovered something special,” said retired librarian Margaret Ziegler. “I was warmly welcomed by a woman who introduced herself as part owner and the artist of much of what was displayed.”
That woman was Christine Chaney, owner of the WABASH Project.
Chaney was trained in architecture at Ball State University in Indiana and moved to Seattle in 1989, which she says was — and is — becoming overrun by technology.
She had a thriving architectural career, designing tech office space and restaurants, but she was disappointed that, to her, the city was not supporting the arts. She knew it was time to move.
She and her husband were friends with Christian Carlson and Trina Perry Carlson of the Perry and Carlson Art Gallery in Mount Vernon, and they knew about the building next door that was for sale. It wasn’t on the market yet, and the owners had given up on the renovation that they had started.
Chaney and her husband bought it in 2020. It was completely gutted, no power, no plumbing, but it had a new roof and some skylights. Having been a freelance designer for 23 years, Chaney coordinated construction and applied the finishing touches.
From Midwest to Northwest
Chaney had moved to Seattle from Indiana because of the proximity to the sea and other bodies of water. She compared the wide-open spaces of cornfields of Indiana to the waters of the West Coast.
She grew up near the Wabash River, and that inspired her to create the WABASH Project, which, she said, is a “a culmination of my life in the arts and my desire to proactively heal instead of harm.”
Her gallery has only nature-based exhibits. “I opened the shop to promote the health and healing of not only ourselves, but our relationship with the Earth through mindfulness, creativity and art making,” she said.
Chaney’s own art and the pieces by artists she represents reflect her love of nature and the outdoors. She uses found materials in nature to inspire and create watercolors and ink pastels, installations, collages and journals.
Her past exhibits have been an ode to the Skagit Valley farmlands, a maritime musing and works that reflect the mystical and the making of meaning from the stars. Coming up is an ode to migratory birds and the ability to create safe passage and place, which opens April 5.
About her space, Chaney said it’s more than a store or a gallery or a studio.
“It is a direct reflection of who I am and my responsibility to help others — all beings including the Earth herself — as much as I can with the talents I have been given,” she said. “Every creative muscle of my being wants to be a lightning rod for good.”
Chaney doesn’t own a car, tries to avoid plastics and flies as little as possible, although she admits that travel expands her toolbox of possibilities in design and art and how one can live life.
Living intentionally
One of the simple expressions of this philosophy is the way she uses original artwork paper to conscientiously wrap — no tape allowed — or bag items purchased before they go out the door.
Ziegler said that Chaney is not only knowledgeable about art, but she’s creative and inquisitive.
“I love the way she carefully thinks through the theme of each exhibit and then explores special and unusual ways to tell the story, combining her own amazing creations and paintings with the works of others,” Ziegler said.
Artists who have shown work at her space include David Blakesley, Kyle Bjorklund, Simon Gomez, John Schmitz, David C. Kane, Pieter VanZanden, Jane Kidder, Christopher Pompel and Scott Neilson.
Chaney’s home, which she designed, is tucked behind the gallery space and was created based on courtyards and loft spaces of New York City, Mexico and France.
“I think of home as a safe haven filled with objects and materials that connect us with nature and the outdoors as well as a highly functional and practical tool,” she said. “I do not see home as a showcase for pride or ego.”
Visitors will also find clothing that she’s designed, including tops that she’s upcycled from vintage silk scarves and crocheted cowls.
For those who visit, Chaney says her hope is “they find solace, quiet, peace, beauty in the naturalness of what we show, that it piques their curiosity, pulls forth wonder, inspires them to make their own art or motivates a creative endeavor they have been putting off.”
— Story and photos by Margaret Bikman
Also read in Salish Current:
• “Allied Arts is on the move,” Dec. 16, 2024
• “Secrets revealed — of Whatcom County artists,” Oct. 9, 2024
• “Whatcom Artist Studio Tour engages community through art and connection,” Oct. 2, 2024
• “Quiet, once-quirky Edison emerges changed post-pandemic,” June 2, 2023