By Ruth Paarmann
Rich soup. Design phase. Good fellowship. Spontaneous combustion. These are among the phrases tossed into a conversation with Priscilla Steele as she describes the development of Campbell Steele Gallery in historic Marion. She and husband Craig Campbell have been prominent figures in the Corridor arts community since 1991. That year, the couple opened the gallery and blended life and art and performance in a magical way.
The endeavor allowed Craig to pursue his passion for theater by designing sets for Theatre Cedar Rapids while he played a role (a.k.a. Cruz Steele) in developing the irreverent Liars Theatre. At the same time and in the same space, Priscilla could showcase the work of great area artists while she worked on her own art.
“In a way, we started with just a few artists, and kind of accidentally. The building was, at the beginning, more of a place to live,” says Craig.
In the past few months, the couple once again began combining their living and working environments back into the original building.
“We are back to working all the time,” says Priscilla, who teaches at Coe College in addition to running the gallery. “We felt strongly that we needed to maximize the use of our space. And I realized I’d like to get up and walk into my studio.”
“We need to give people more reasons to go to an art gallery than just visual arts,” says Craig of their reasons for renovating and expanding. “In many ways, it’s the same thing we’ve been doing, just on a bigger scale.”
For the public, those opportunities for arts fellowship will be abundant, as the space is available for private events in addition to a gallery full of original art. For Priscilla and Craig, the renovations truly enmesh their lives with art and performance.
A Theatrical & Artistic Family
The couple has traveled the Midwest while honing their theatrical design collaboration skills and Priscilla’s printmaking technique. They lived in 13 places in three years, acquainting themselves with a lot of people and developing leadership and credibility along the way.
“We worked successfully as a team — what he thought of, I could draw,” she says, but by their very nature, Craig’s theater sets were torn down within a few short months of the initial concept.
“Craig decided he wanted to build something that lasted more than the run of a show. This dovetailed with our decision to start a family,” says Priscilla, a New Jersey native who was initially skeptical about moving to Omaha, which she perceived as a “cow town.”
For seven years, they nested in Nebraska. Craig designed sets and furniture while Priscilla continued printmaking and engraving. Eventually, the Campbell Steeles moved to Cedar Rapids, and Priscilla worked toward her MFA from the University of Iowa.
Family, art and theater needed to fit into one location, so Priscilla and Craig considered a building in downtown Cedar Rapids before they toured the Marion site. After seeing it once, they signed the papers. The family moved into the upper level while the lower level became Campbell Steele Gallery. Craig collaborated with Nina Swanson and Scott Schulte to form Liars Theatre.
Priscilla describes the early years as “spontaneous combustion.”
“It has been a really compelling space, showing work that challenges people and combining that with live performance,” says Priscilla. The gallery exclusively features original art by a lively pool of artists, many from the region’s higher education arts programs.
Priscilla has taught drawing and printmaking at Coe College since 1994. She enjoys educating people about printmaking so they are aware of the difference between an original print and a giclee. She is on the board of the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art and serves on the advisory board of the Marion Arts Festival.
Maximizing the Renovations
Campbell Steele Gallery stands across the street from the square that is home to the Marion Arts Festival, an idea originated by Craig. The former Kendall Hardware store, built in 1894, is entering yet another design phase, thanks to inspired owners.
Craig threw himself into taking advantage of the back third of the main floor and the entire upper level. Priscilla says Craig’s zeal for the renovation never overshadowed the building’s heritage.
“He has accentuated the structure of the freight elevator. The original joists and beams for that are exposed, along with the gearing,” she says.
Previously, the stage marked the end of the gallery and performance space. Craig opened up that area and designed a new wine bar, around which they plan to feature family art and mementos. The base of the atrium created by the elevator shaft is tiled to accommodate Priscilla’s garden.
While the audience capacity remains at 90 people, performances promise to be better than ever. Acts from around the country will be sharing their talents in a series entitled Cruz Steele’s Brand New Favorites.
“Our venue is a performance space with sound production and lighting capability that anybody would be proud of,” says Priscilla.
Priscilla’s New Loft
On October 3rd, the Priscilla Steele Studio & Gallery debuts. After 25 years, Priscilla will have a loft devoted to her larger-than-life mixed media work, which is primarily figurative or botanical in nature.
“I’m really excited about it, because having my own workspace and accessibility of getting up and going to work in the morning is an amazing thing,” says Priscilla. “And to have an exhibition space that immediately serves that work allows the production of a lifetime!”
At the top of the stairs is the elevator atrium, garnished with custom railings by Craig. Priscilla’s work is displayed on brick walls and faux marble facades — painted on by the artist herself. The loft’s coffered ceiling, another original design by Craig, distinguishes the exhibit space, which stretches down a long hallway.
Priscilla’s studio is well defined, yet open to her gallery and the natural light. Here, she works new layers onto her large mixed media canvases.
In the front half of the upper level, a cozy artist’s suite overlooks the park. There’s just enough room for empty nesters — a bedroom, Craig’s office and kitchen near completion.
“We have everything you could want, and the city takes care of our front yard!” Craig laughs.
“Having a home in a really beautiful neighborhood was a wonderful phase,” says Priscilla, referring to their home on a cul-de-sac where they moved to continue raising their children. “My dad and Craig’s mom lived with us. We were together as a family, and in a very meaningful way.”
Now that her father has passed away and Craig’s mother has her own apartment, they will move back to Marion. They hope to find good neighbors for their friends on the cul-de-sac.
Cruz Steele’s Brand New Favorites
“We keep making things more interesting all the time. That’s what we do,” says Craig, explaining how bringing in high-quality acts became an obsession.
He was so bold as to ask Patty Griffin, a nationally acclaimed folk singer, to perform in Marion. While she was beyond their means, other lesser-known but high quality performers started lining up.
First there’s folk-rocker Pieta Brown, daughter of folk musician Greg Brown, originally from Cosgrove, Iowa, who performs on October 4. Then, Craig found out about some great acts from a friend, namely Erin Bode and Paula West who will perform for two nights each in late October and November. Last and perhaps most well known, there’s Prudence Johnson, a Prairie Home Companion favorite who will appear in December with Michael Johnson.
The gallery’s Web site. www.campbellsteele.com, features the artists’ publicity photos, which inspired the cheeky series name.
“We laughed when these photographs of beautiful women started coming to us,” says Priscilla. “Craig, who is ever irreverent, said, ‘I’m going to call it Cruz Steele’s Brand New Favorites!’
More seriously, she notes that the selections were made based on the variety and quality that these musicians present.
“Chances are good people will not have known these acts before they see them at Campbell Steele Gallery,” says Craig. “We’re introducing people to new things.”
The schedule includes local favorites Ron DeWitte and Lynne Rothrock performing before year’s end. By January, Craig hopes to have more acts ready to roll.
“We’d also like to fill in some dates with less risky activities, like Blues Tuesday from 5-10 p.m. I’d have blues musicians come in for cabaret style seating at tables and chairs — very casual,” says Craig.
He also notes that they regularly rent the space for private parties and corporate events. It will be more function-friendly than ever with its wine bar and renovated areas.
Campbell Steele Gallery
Campbell Steele Gallery’s installation of new work sticks around from the opening and gallery walk on October 3rd until October 31st. The exhibit features Charles Barth’s intaglio prints, John Beckelman’s painting and ceramics, Karen Kurka Jensen’s sumi-e paintings, Sharon Burns Knutson’s drawings and Toby McGee’s glasswork.
Priscilla will blend the works into their Holiday Show, which begins November 6.
“I love showing etchings and lithographs, and I have great artists from the region as well as Eastern Europe who are doing amazing work in this medium,” says Priscilla.
“Our goal is to always provide things that are well done and interesting,” says Craig. “We started off on a good note, and we’re still on a really good note.”
Priscilla has embraced the stressful but rewarding process. “We made decisions for our own tastes, my space and my exhibition area.”
“We hope to provide a wonderful place for great fellowship. I’m really excited.”
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