On Brisbane’s busy Brunswick Street, nestled amongst a tattoo parlour, café and architecture firm, is a humble art gallery. Like the eclectic mix of stores, people and possibilities the Valley holds, Jugglers is ever-changing and unexpected in its artistic endeavors, offering an interesting contribution to the Brisbane art scene. The predominately black street front holds reminders of previous art accomplishments through the splashes of colourful paint on the window panes and footpaths.
A social enterprise started by a father and son in 1998, the gallery is committed to fostering the growth and encouragement of young artists. “The idea is based around providing cheaper and affordable studio space for emerging and mid-career artists, as well as the underlying value of social justice, creativity and the search for meaning,” says Peter Breen, the director and chairman of Jugglers.
Many creative types have found succor in the spaces provided by Jugglers, including artists, painters, musicians, composers and sculptors. The vast range of creators are welcomed in the spaces provided, as they align with Breen’s belief that creativity is essential to both the soul and society.
Jugglers is located in a two story building. The lower exhibition space is equipped with a bar and office. Upstairs there are additional exhibition spaces, storage rooms, and studio spaces for artists to rent.
The “organic” feel reinforces the importance Jugglers places on nurturing the creative core. Free from pretentious luxury, it exudes a strong passion and appreciation for the reasons behind creativity, and the importance of society’s understanding, or at least, effort to understand the artwork.
Jugglers is giving to Brisbane is history, context and the potential for future reflection. Like many famous artists, in famous cities, the need for a space dedicated for artistic pursuits is always needed.
It would be easy to glamorize Breen’s life; the constant dialogue with artists, the abundance of art exhibitions and late nights. But the unrefined experience felt at Jugglers is much more focused on the importance of art in order for both individuals and societies to function. “One of the things we put on the bottom of our invoices is that ‘Art is the nerve centre of the society’. It’s the art that is telling us where we are at. It’s a non-negotiable,” Breen says.
An interesting aspect of Jugglers is its emphasis on graffiti art. Complete with an alleyway and patio garden the space offers a hidden sanctuary. Lifting the black garage door takes you to a colourful and expressive wonderland of graffiti art. An overlooked art form, and often considered to be a nuisance, Breen says merit and creativity is seen in this self-expression thus he aims to provide a safe place for this creativity to happen. “We believe that people attempting to do art, with whatever medium on whatever canvas, should be given a go. So we are validating the art form and we are validating or legitimizing the medium. From a social justice point of view, we are providing a safe place where people can come and develop their arts practice. It’s usually 99 percent male between the ages of 15 and 30,” Breen says.
On an unusually bleak Brisbane morning, the alleyway is a space for a romantic gesture. Playing host to its first wedding, the alleyway and back terrace of Jugglers is transformed with walls covered in ‘Lux loves Tasmin’. While garbage bags full of empty spray paint cans and the fresh fumes were enough to make one giddy, it was the enabling of this self expression; the joining of two passions, creativity through art, and love, which could make even the most high brow art lover excited about the Brisbane art scene.
While the drawing of impressive numbers to GoMA and other popular commercial art galleries exhibitions is a great positive for the cultural scene of Brisbane, the encouragement of emerging and mid career artists, like that given at Jugglers, is vital.
Unfortunately, Breen says many of the exhibitions have small turnouts, often only filled with a handful of family and friends, and some not even producing a sale. Although sales are often not the main focus of the exhibit, it is important for the artist to sell in order to continue their work.
Over the past 10 years, 800 artists have been exhibited at Jugglers; an impressive figure that has certainly contributed to the Brisbane and Australian art scene. This is significant considering Jugglers is run based on donations and the hard work put in by Breen and fellow staff members.
While it has expanded over the years to include four studio spaces, Jugglers has still faced hard times, with the inability to afford their staff. However, recent growth trends in Brisbane for Artist Run Initiatives and independent galleries could contribute to further interest in Jugglers. “The population of Brisbane is far more interested in the arts. People are hanging work in coffee shops and clothing shops. That kind of thing, you can’t keep up with it. I think it’s exciting,” Breen says.
For Brisbane folk wanting to expand their art collection, Jugglers would be the ideal gallery to visit, with works being priced at the lower end of the market, ranging from $50 to $1,000.
While Breen’s commitment to Jugglers seems impressive, the passion he speaks with and his involvement with art indicates, like the artists, Breeb finds harmony in allowing others to express themselves creatively. “I’m privileged to be involved, because it is life giving,” he says.