Glass Garage Collective, Love of art leads to digital gallery

In May 2020, Sarah Wells opened the Glass Garage Collective, a digital gallery amid the pandemic. The Collective was born from Wells’ love of art in its many forms. She is the founder and curator of the Garage Class Collective and is a staff member for Classical Tahoe. She also sits on the board of the Tahoe Art Alliance. Wells is an artist who saw a need for creatives to create and find a way to exhibit their art during the pandemic.

“As the arts and culture organizations went dark in the last year, and a network of artists and creatives couldn’t display their art. We wanted to help artists get back to their creative roots,” explains Wells, who points out that museums and galleries were closed most of 2020 due to COVID.

“It’s a really special relationship I have with these individuals I don’t know and their art that is sent through the mail. It’s a conversation without conversation.”   –Sarah Wells

The Garage Glass Collective is currently accepting submissions for its Mail Art project entitled, “We Are All Guests Here.” Mail Art is a specific genre in which artists create and send their art through the mail. The only rule is it needs to be able to fit in a post office box. Any art medium is welcome for this project. The artist submissions posters were created in four languages – English, Spanish, Washoe and Mandarin to offer greater inclusivity. The project is a digital exhibit that aims to chronicle and celebrate the creative culture. Wells has received hundreds of submissions from around the world through the mail.

“There is this curiosity about who is making these submissions. I think it’s been really exciting for me as a curator,” says Wells, who points out that she noticed that art which arrived early on in the submission process had darker themes. Many pieces reflected loneliness. In the last few months, artwork submissions seemed brighter, more vibrant and offer themes that seem more hopeful.

Wells points out that when an artist lets go of a piece of something they’ve created, it is powerful. She takes that responsibility to heart, and as an artist, she handles each piece with great care.

“It’s a really special relationship I have with these individuals I don’t know and their art that is sent through the mail. It’s a conversation without conversation,” says Wells of the project and how it has created a community with people she has never met personally.

Wells catalogs each piece of art with the date it arrives and a description of the art. Each piece is then posted in the gallery for display.

“I was interested in the people submitting, as locals and tourists, to see what that overlap might be in terms of expression. The idea that we are all guests on this earth, and when it comes down to it, especially over the past year, we realize that connection, collaboration and community is really what it’s all about. The point of this platform is to create a community of makers and creators at all levels of their artistic journey,” Wells.

Wells advocates that we all have something to offer creatively and artistically.

“If you have an inclination to create something from a doodle, to a poem, to a collage, to watercolor in any form or pure momentary expression, you are an artist for this project. No special skill is needed to participate in this project. The most important thing is that you feel compelled to share something that you’ve created.”

Wells’ vision is to collaborate with a local venue to have a physical exhibit at some point in the future. Her desire is to see more art submissions from the Tahoe region to promote connection, collaboration and community.

To submit an art piece, mail submissions to Glass Garage Collective, P.O. Box 6149, Stateline, NV 89449. Details for submitting pieces for the exhibit are available on the website. | glassgaragecollective.com