Vangarde is a social space for local arts, live music

By E. Yasamato

Art may take the guise of a painting on a wall, a piece of sculpture in a gallery or by a blues artist shouting and stomping his way through a set upon a small stage. All of these forms of creativity (and many others) can be found at Vangarde Arts, a non-profit local arts venue that includes a fine art visual gallery, a live performance space and a funky lounge, all in one setting.

Vangarde Arts is the brainchild of music promoter Brent Stockton, who envisioned a social space to celebrate “artful living” in Siouxland.

Initiated by Stockton in May 2012, Vangarde Arts brought in a few touring musical acts at 427 Pierce St. The venue was moved to new digs at 420 Jackson St. this past July, and Stockton says the focus is on promoting local and regional art in all forms.

“There is a lot of great visual artists, painters, photographers, potters, and of course, there are a lot of great singer songwriters (in this area),” Stockton said. “But there is really not a great place for them to go and be a featured event.”

Stockton says his place is just one part of the local arts and music puzzle. “You have coffee shops and bars that have art on the wall and live events. We’re another part of that,” he said.

Since the move, Stockton and crew have been bringing in a steady stream of both nationally-known and home-grown performers for informal concerts.

For instance, Vangarde Arts has played host to such well-respected talents as singer-songwriter Eilen Jewell, blues legend Ray Wylie Hubbard and roots rockers Grams and Krieger (featuring Sioux City-born Steve Grams) in recent months.

On Nov. 8, Decorah, Iowa-based musicians Joe and Vicki Price let loose with a toe-tapping medley of songs celebrating the distinctive sounds of Chicago and Delta blues.

Yet Vangarde Arts is much more than a local arts and music venue. It’s also a place where the works of local painters like Pauline Sensenig, Amy Potter Thompson and Bettina Perkins or photographer Mark Karrer can be seen.

“We want people to feel like this is their place,” Stockton said of the artists and musicians he features. “We want them to support art and the music. And we try to create a vibe that has a creative sort of feel, so they feel like they are a part of something, that they are experiencing something different.”

That mentality speaks to Stockton’s desire for a local arts club that would explore exciting new boundaries that will celebrate all forms of human creativity.

In other words, establishing a place where creative visual artists could rub shoulders with emerging performance artists in order to foster creative change through the arts.

“That’s exactly what Vangarde Arts is meant to be,” Stockton said. “It’s a social space for the arts.”

DETAILS

Where: Vangarde Arts, 420 Jackson St.

Upcoming shows: New Primitives

When: Jan. 25

When: The Art Gallery is open 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays. Concert info may be found at www.vangardearts.com or at facebook.com/vangarde.arts