By Darlene Brace
This week’s Chamber Spotlight is the Chautauqua Art Gallery, which is located at 318 N. Main Street in Jamestown. The Chautauqua Art Gallery is owned by Leslie Calamari. Leslie grew up in Chautauqua County. She received a bachelor’s degree in commercial art from RIT. She is an artist herself. Before opening the gallery, she had worked in art related jobs. She ran gallery shows, did newspaper design, digital marketing as a graphic designer, web developer, and a marketing manager for visual and performing arts organizations. She freelanced as a commercial artist and participated in gallery shows.
In 2018, she opened the Chautauqua Art Gallery in Lakewood, NY. Initially she opened the gallery to showcase her own artwork. Gradually she had other area artists join her, and the business began to grow.
She eventually needed a bigger space. In 2022, she was looking for a place to buy to host her expanding business. In April of that year, she bought the building on Main Street in Jamestown and opened her gallery there.
The building she bought showcases the artwork very nicely. When describing her gallery, Leslie stated, “The gallery is a bright white light wall gallery, with a wide range of styles and prices.”
As you walk in the gallery there is a foyer, that leads to another area that has lighted glass cases. In the glass cases are “giftable” artworks such as jewelry, ornaments, figurines, and pottery, to name a few. This part of the gallery will hold your attention for quite a while, as there is a lot to discover.
After exploring the contents of the glass cases, you continue into the main room. In this area, there is artwork of various modes displayed on the walls. There are drawings of various styles, as well as many paintings and photography. Some of these pieces of art are created by Leslie, but she also showcases the artwork of other artists across the region.
Leslie wants the community to know that her gallery is a high-end curated gallery with an incredible presentation of items of various price ranges. It also has a lot of giftable items that are affordable. Leslie would like to invite you to come in and check it out, to see the unique artworks and gift ideas she has to offer in her gallery.
ornaments, fi gurines, and pottery, to name a few. This part of the gallery will hold your attention for quite a while, as there is a lot to discover. After exploring
the contents of the glass cases, you continue into the main room. In this area, there is artwork of various modes displayed on the walls.
She also stated that she recently purchased the Frame and Glass shop that had been across the street for over twenty years. She wanted to continue the legacy of the Frame and Glass shop, and she has incorporated the Frame and Glass shop into her gallery.
Leslie has found ways to help promote art in the community. Leslie sometimes offers art classes at her gallery. There have been figure drawing classes Tuesday nights from 6pm-8:30pm. Currently, this has been put on hold during the month of December; it will resume on Tuesday nights in January.
She also helps support local artists by being part of the ArtScape Program. The ArtScape program is coordinated by The Chautauqua Art Gallery, the Jamestown Renaissance Corporation, and Jamestown Parks and Recreation. It’s an outdoor public gallery that showcases regional art in downtown Jamestown. Selected artwork is reproduced on banners that hang on light posts throughout the downtown area. The Artscape Program is open to people of all ages that live in Chautauqua County. Those that are interested can submit up to three pieces of artwork for consideration, and the deadline is February 24, 2024.
You can contact the Jamestown Renaissance organization for more information at 716-708-6761.You can contact Leslie if you have questions about Artscape as well. You can also contact her if you are interested in having your art displayed at her gallery or about taking one of her classes. The best way to contact her is to email her at leslie@chautauquaartgallery.com or call her at 716-294-3027. You can also contact her on her Facebook and Instagram pages.
The Chautauqua Art Gallery has a wide variety of art displayed, with a range of modes and prices. It is currently open Monday through Friday from 10am-5pm and on Saturdays from 10am-2pm. You should check out the Chautauqua Art Gallery and see what this local art gallery is all about.
Caption: As you walk in the gallery there is a foyer, that leads to another area that has lighted glass cases. In the glass cases are “giftable” artworks such as jewelry, ornaments, figurines, and pottery, to name a few. This part of the gallery will hold your attention for quite a while, as there is a lot to discover. After exploring the contents of the glass cases, you continue into the main room. In this area, there is artwork of various modes displayed on the walls.