Jackalope Studio Gallery

Owners

Kathy and Nancy

Playlist

eclectic

The Port vibe is…

“a real mix of people, which is fun”

Opened

2009

No. of employees

2


Flying above the clouds

Kathy from Jackalope sold single and twin-engine aircraft when she moved to Australia from the USA. Before that she was a university professor and before that a professional athlete. Today she’s a photographic artist and runs the gallery with her sister, Nancy.

They bought and renovated their historic building on Calton Street seven years ago, transforming it from horse stables into a two-storey gallery. More recently, they’ve done up the secluded courtyard, which Kathy calls their “little Mexican garden”, and added a pergola made with timber from the old Birkenhead Wharf.

As well as selling their own artworks and regularly hosting exhibitions for other artists, Kathy and Nancy have a passion for Mexican art and unique, colourful items from Australia and overseas. Says Kathy, “We want to have a gallery that (has pieces) you won’t be able to find any place else in Australia.”

As long-term business owners, they’ve seen The Port change in recent years. Kathy believes it’s now about to flourish. “I see buildings starting to be bought, people moving in. There’s a vibrancy starting to happen down here that’s sort of infectious.” She believes a profusion of galleries would be invaluable for the area.

“I’ve always said that Port Adelaide should be more of an artists’ type of area. My favourite place in the States is Santa Fe… and [it has] a place called Canyon Road. It has 97 galleries on one street and they’re all different.”

The gallery is open Thursday to Sunday and Kathy runs a picture framing business from her home the rest of the week. She also works on the subcommittees of the Port Adelaide Enfield Chamber of Commerce.

Working on the Tall Ships Festival in 2013 also gave Kathy her favourite story to share about Port Adelaide.

“The weather had been atrocious until the day the Dutch tall ships were to arrive down the Port River. Thousands of people were dockside and lined up along the river from Outer Harbour to view the procession. The weather miraculously cleared and the winds subsided. The sight of the Dutch ships and Port Adelaide-based One and All coming down the river and entering the Port was something I will probably never see again.”

To add to the spectacle, without coaxing, the dolphins chose to lead the fleet down the river and into the harbour.

“We have the only dolphin sanctuary in the world that’s part of a city,” says Kathy proudly. Which makes this casual welcome from the local dolphins that much sweeter.