‘The Annex’ next door remains open, but gallery at couple’s home was found to be out of compliance with property zoning

By Holly Dillemuth, Ashland.news  

The Gambrel Gallery on East Main Street in Ashland closed in late June after Jackson County found it in violation of land use regulations.

The gallery, which was housed in a large, red barn at 1980 E. Main St., and operated by Emily Santiago and Chris Leishman of Ashland, opened in 2022 to showcase art in an unconventional space and create more community around art and with local artists. 

Next door to the property, The Annex, a nonprofit that the couple hope to continue as an artist-in-residency program on land nearby to the gallery, is still in use, but its future remains up in the air as the couple works with the county regarding land-use regulations.

Santiago and Leishman purchased the property on which they later operated the gallery on Sept. 8, 2020.

“We bought this property the day of the Almeda Fire and we decided when we bought it that it would be about nourishing the community,” Santiago told Ashland.news. “It’s unfortunate that we’re not able to give back as much in this way.”

Leishman reiterated that the gallery was about more than profits for the couple.

“For us, it was really a hobby,” Leishman said. “We rarely sold any major pieces of work, but that wasn’t really the point. The point was to give artists the opportunity to present their work to a local audience.”

Santiago said the couple first received a complaint after holding an event at the gallery in July 2023. The complaint said there was violation of the county land use development ordinance (LDO). 

What ensued was the threat of a $10,000 fine. Santiago and Leishman said they would comply.

“We tried for a year to work it out with them so we were kind of hoping for a better outcome,” she said. 

While open to the public, the gallery was a for-profit business, and is located in the Urban Growth Boundary of Ashland. According to the LDO 6.4.4, home businesses are not allowed in this area.

The couple say that they tried to get permission for the gallery by applying for a home occupation permit, as was suggested to them by Jackson County Planning. They said the county denied on the permit on the following grounds:

•  The gallery exhibited works by artists who aren’t residents of the property (rather than showing only our own work).
•  The gallery would only be allowed to operate by appointment only — no open hours, no First Friday openings.
•  The gallery would not be allowed more than two additional cars on the property at any time.

Additionally, when the couple spoke to the planner who issued the decision, the planner stated that they “did not see how the gallery added economic value to the area” and saw no way the couple would be able to comply with the LDO, according to the gallery’s website.

There are other permits that the couple could obtain, but Jackson County Planning does not provide advice on obtaining permission, per the LDO. The gallery owners would have to hire an independent land use consultant or land use attorney, which they said would be “a significant cost that we cannot justify.”

Schneider Museum of Art executive director weighs in

Scott Malbaurn, executive director of the Schneider Museum of Art, shared with Ashland.news that he was “crestfallen” to hear of the closure. 

“Gambrel Gallery was more than just a gallery,” Malbaurn said. “Chris and Emily basically (opened) up their home.

“They wanted to provide community,” he said. “There’s not too many places to go to have that kind of community conversation,” but added, “I understand and appreciate the county has to do what they have to do. 

ScienceWorks laments closure of ‘sister’ gallery

Just up East Main Street, ScienceWorks opened a gallery of its own in May, where works incorporate science in artistic pieces.

“We were very grateful that we had like a sister gallery just down the street from us to draw people out to spots other than just downtown Ashland,” said Cynthia Salbato, creative director for ScienceWorks.

“This is the sad part for me,” she added. “We were just always talking about that we’re going to start collaborating.”

Salbato and Santiago had talked about many possibilities, including putting on art shows that tied in together.

“We just didn’t get the chance to do it,” Salbato said.

“The community needs to speak up and advocate for the community and town that they want,” she added.

Santiago and Leishman said they believe that currently, the LDO isn’t supportive of community-focused venues in Jackson County. 

“We have done a little research and found that several other venues that our community enjoy are also at risk of being shut down should someone make a complaint to the county,” the gallery owners said on their website.

She said that the waitlist for artists to showcase their works at Gambrel Gallery was long.

“We had like a year’s worth of folks that wanted to show (art),” she said. 

Santiago said she believes the LDO is limiting for what people can do with art in the community.

“People in rural areas need access to community activities and that’s what we were trying to provide,” she said.

Santiago said the couple have no plans to try to annex the property into the city, but the couple has spoken with Ashland City Councilor Gina DuQuenne about the closure. 

“As a resident of the southside (of Ashland), it really saddened me to hear the gallery would have to close down,” DuQuenne told Ashland.news. “We need some excitement and luster and fun.”

She said Santiago and Leishman had “breathed life” into the property through the gallery.

DuQuenne said the closure highlights the importance of streamlining the annexation process.

“We need to work together and look at annexation, and how it can benefit the city,” she said. “We need to look at Ashland as a whole.”

Process for annexation into the city

Brandon Goldman, director of community development for the city of Ashland, shared insights into the annexation process with the city.  

“I’ve been with the city, I think, for 25 years (one and a half years in current role) and I think we’ve seen five or six annexation proposals,” Goldman said. “There’s a lot of land within the city to develop, and so, typically, somebody that’s looking at doing a development will look for land that’s already in the city before looking at land outside the city.”

To annex into the city, Goldman said the difficulty can be more on the private sector side of developing a plan, as well as having the resources in place to build out the infrastructure needed.

“The city is amenable to annexing properties that come in conformance with our comprehensive plan for the area,” Goldman said.

Goldman is understanding of the ruling by the county, which is simply enforcing land use regulations.

As former president of the Ashland Community Artisan Gallery & Art Center in downtown Ashland, also known as the Ashland Art Center, Goldman also expressed that art certainly continues to hold value in the community.

“Art is an integral part of Ashland’s character,”  he said, “so promoting the arts is something that does promote economic value.”

Reach Ashland.news reporter Holly Dillemuth at [email protected].