A Common Thing
Re-thinking what an art object really is.
Together, Nikki Jabbora-Barber and Paige McCray co-founded and co-direct A Common Thing, an exhibition project designed to bridge the gap between artists and the public, removing hierarchy from the art world to redefine the art object and characteristics of an art viewer or art owner.
(Image: David Rios, Concha. Cast glass.)
Our mission is to serve as an active connection point between artists, their art, and the public. We view artists as partners to the gallery in not only the presentation of, but also in the development of their work. We understand the public as a community of individuals seeking contact and experiences with art beyond white walls.
At the core of our mission is the centering of work from artists outside the ‘standard’, who use their art to share experience and connect to an actively engaged audience. Artists whose perspectives, methods, and identities are often ignored, underrepresented, and under funded. Our gallery and our artists know the art object carries social meaning, but is not restricted to pedestals and frames. Art lives on book shelves and night stands just as well as on the wall. It doesn’t need to be inflated or elevated to connect to the viewer. Art should be seen in multi-purpose spaces, cafés, windows, and in all spaces that let people see art. Our mission is to improve art access and redefine the art object as something that can be felt as well as seen.
art beyond white walls.
We believe that artists create art for the public and not for the privileged few. Our goal is to foster a group of collectors and participants in the arts that is not exclusive to the elite or wealthy. Art itself is diverse, and belongs in the hands, eyes and minds of a diverse community. We prioritize both the accessibility of art and the financial welfare of our artists. Artists deserve freedom and empowerment to create the works that they are passionate about, and with the gallery’s support artists' works can reach the largest, most diverse audience.
(Image: Gift from a friend on Nikki’s dresser)
Nikki Jabbora-Barber
Nikki Jabbora-Barber (she/her), a gay Seattle-based printmaker and teaching artist, was born in Bellingham, WA to a Lebanese-German mother and Anglo-Swedish father. Her work focuses on her mixed race identity, centuries of storytelling, and womanhood through symbolic depictions of herself and the natural environment.
Nikki regularly leads community engagement projects, including with local museums and printmaking organizations. Nikki balances making and selling her hand-pulled fine art prints; co-coordinating exhibitions at Davidson Galleries; and teaching community art classes.
(Image: Daniel Carillo, daguerreotype)
Paige Mccray
Paige McCray (she/her) is an artist, art writer, and studio/gallery worker from the Pacific Northwest (USA) currently based in Budapest (HUN). Raised around Portland, OR, Paige attended Sarah Lawrence College (NY) and has worked with artists and organizations in New York, Seattle and Budapest.
Paige focuses on projects that support developing artists and writers who are commonly underrepresented, centering her own Filipinx, mixed race and bi identities. While crossing from curation to interviewing to sculpting to editing, Paige’s practice is unified by a dedication to storytelling and sharing experience.