A Curatorial Experiment Highlighting Products of the Creative Process

Jackie Sanders Micro Gallery

About The Micro Gallery:

Located in downtown Raleigh (201 E. Davie Street - Artspace Studio 220), the Jackie Sanders Micro Gallery highlights products of the creative process from J Sanders Studio.

Mimicking the “fish bowl” experience of being an artist with a public facing art studio, this micro gallery (16”x11”x12”) is ever evolving as visitors observe, experience, and “tour” the space and its rotating exhibitions and displays.

Want to see upcoming exhibitions come to life? Join the J Sanders Studio newsletter for updates and behind the scenes images of the gallery!

Mission:

The mission of this space is…

1 - To bring joy, laughter, and light to the art making process.

Yes on the surface, this space may seem silly to some. Playing on the childhood experience of creating miniature worlds, this gallery was intentionally founded to bring a playfulness back into the creative practice as a reminder that, although the work itself may be exploring and unpacking deep and emotionally charged themes, the creative process should, at some level, still remain fun and joyfully therapeutic!

2 - To explore the power of exhibition design as passive materials become precious objects.

Diving into a decades-long obsessive curiosity with the organization of creative spaces and materials, this gallery will not only “remove” those materials from their passive habitat but also put a spotlight on them.

This gallery explores the power of exhibition design and the transition of energy, as passive objects (the byproduct of the creative process) become precious objects (an effect often only associated with “completed” artwork).

3 - To facilitate community conversations on a range of complex philosophical and sociological questions.

These questions include but are not limited to:

What defines art and the value we place on it?
How does scale factor into perceived value of art?
Where is the line between art, object, craft, and trash?
In our technology driven world, what defines the reality of a physical space?
If one were to only see the products of the creative process, what would they suspect the “end artwork” to look like?

Meet Our Founder:

Jackie Sanders is an abstract geometric artist whose intentionally immersive creative spaces have been at the core of her creative process for the past 10+ years.

Sanders has worn many hats as an art professional and she is excited to tackle the many challenges and questions that arise with her new (at returning) titles as curator, exhibition designer, and gallery owner.

With a Masters in Material Culture and Public Humanities, a curatorial focus in Exhibition Design, and a childhood curiosity rooted from her family’s architecture firm, Sanders Designs, space and community interaction are top of mind in her art making practice.

As her creative spaces have evolved over the years, displaying sketches, inspiration images and creative studies has been a re-occuring common practice for Sanders. For this reason, the idea of displaying “products of the creative process” as an exhibition idea began in 2016 and is now brought to life through the Jackie Sanders Micro Gallery.

Location & Hours: The Jackie Sanders Micro Gallery is located within Studio 220 of Artspace in Downtown Raleigh (201 E. Davie Street). Hours vary based on J Sanders Studio open hours so please contact us directly if you want to visit the gallery (and studio!).

Admission: Due to accessibility limitations of the space (being only 16”x11”x12”), admission to the gallery will be free for all human visitors but limited to the courtyard window view. Toys, lego people, dolls, and action figures under 4 inches in height will be permitted to enter the gallery as long as they leave the artwork on display untouched (this IS an art gallery after-all).

Social Media: For those unable to see the space in person, you can experience the joy of the gallery through our official Instagram page: @JackieSanders_MicroGallery or through updates on the J Sanders Studio newsletter.

Tours, Media, & Press: If you would like to schedule a tour of the space, inquire about open hours, interview the owner of the gallery, or feature the Jackie Sanders Micro Gallery in an upcoming media feature, please contact Jackie Sanders directly through email, JSandersStudio@Gmail.com or through our contact form.

Exhibitions:

Due to the location of the gallery, unfortunately no artists other than Jackie Sanders can be featured at this time (...at this location!). However, highlighting a variety of products of the creative process will ensure that the exhibitions remain fresh, thought provoking, and engaging for gallery visitors.

With a full calendar of thematically and conceptually ambitious exhibitions, upcoming exhibitions include: