Pearl Street Gallery first opened its doors to the La Crosse community last fall. When the Racquet Press sat down with owner and artist Bailey Nelson last year to talk about the new space, he mentioned how he envisioned live music playing in the gallery as people stopped in to appreciate the sound and the art.
Pearl Street Jams launched this past weekend, and as the band played on Saturday night, Nelson spoke about how amazing it was to be able to see his goal realized.
“It was a dream to be able to have music here someday… and we have an open space where we can continue to have live music and bring people together and connect,” Nelson said.
Pearl Street Jams is a live music series that will be hosted by Pearl Street Gallery once a month until January. Two bands were featured this past Saturday, The Mason Neprud Band and Self-Titled Band.
Starting at 8 p.m., music poured out of the gallery space into the street, filling Pearl Street with the sounds of the live band.
Attendee Sam Lor said, “I was unsure about the venue because it’s on Pearl Street… but as soon as I walked in and saw all the art and pictures and stuff, I was like wow it’s a really beautiful place.”
Live music in an art gallery on Pearl Street is something people have not seen before in La Crosse, but Nelson is excited to bring something new to the community, focusing on the connections people can form because of it.
“It’s more about the space, community, connecting and just tying everything that I love into one spot: art, music, photography, videography and community. To be able to do that feels like a blessing, and I’m just committed to it,” said Nelson.
Along with giving the bands a space to perform, Nelson and his team are providing photography and videography services, aiming to give the bands promotional material and a platform on which to be discovered.
Nelson said, “There’s such a vast amount of talent in La Crosse musically and with the arts, so if I can be a lever in helping that be discovered then that’s great, and to use our space to do it is awesome.”
The gallery is filled from floor to ceiling with art focusing on the beauty of La Crosse. The combination of visual art with live music is what makes Pearl Street Gallery a hub for connection and is why Nelson believes art is so important to the community, both visually and musically. Those that attended the event understood that, too.
Lor said, “Music is a great thing because it’s a universal language… music speaks to everyone.”
At the heart of Pearl Street Gallery, Nelson has created a community space for art, music and connectivity where visual and musical art is welcomed and shared with everyone.
Nelson said, “I want to bring the community together, and there’s no better place to do it than on Pearl Street.”
