Joyce Lee, Staff Writer

There is a grand community of artists in Syracuse – some well-known, some at the creative fringe, and others whom we have yet to discover. One of our aims on the Connective Corridor is to seek out these folks and highlight their endeavors. At the moment, we’re following Briana Kohlbrenner and her triumphs as an up-and-coming regional artist. Consider this an insider’s look into one local artist’s life.

“Open your eyes, Syracuse is happening! Experience being a part of it.” – Briana Kohlbrenner

From what we’ve learned about Briana so far, being an artist is the bee’s knees. Creating art, running a store, preparing for gallery shows, and meeting talented individuals is her kind of lifestyle. However, the life of a young artist does have its drawbacks – mainly financial uncertainty.

After visiting Craft Chemistry multiple times, I’ve realized that the store might not be generating the type of income desired. First, Bre sets a fairly low commission that she receives from each sale (25%, when most would take 40 or 50%). The low foot traffic due to the store’s location doesn’t help sustain business, either.

After some internal debate, she decided she needed to supplement C2 with part-time work. Amazingly (especially in this economy), she found a perfect match at Onondaga Community College (OCC) working in The Gallery at the Ann Felton Multicultural Center. Though she’s worked there less than two months, Briana has quickly found her niche.

“Working at The Gallery offers me hands-on experience operating in a professional space, networking with the greater community of Syracuse, and meeting a wide variety of artists,” Bre shares. It’s great practice for her because it feels like she’s running two gallery spaces at the same time (exhausting and well worth it!). She also sees this as the stepping stone to owning a larger gallery/visual performing art space here in Syracuse.

Of course, having a part-time job means sacrificing some of her time running the store. Being a resourceful individual, Bre has several of the store hours covered by someone else – oftentimes her husband.

Being an artist isn’t easy, but, as Briana puts it, “without art, I feel empty. Ultimately, all my endeavors have had one constant agenda: to meet other artists, find those who have similar aspirations, and together make things happen. I feel ridiculously fortunate to have met and continue to meet, many artists and interesting people while doing things I love to do. If I would have known how easy it was to connect with this community, I would have done so years earlier!”

If you are interested in connecting with Briana or bringing your own work to The Gallery at OCC, feel free to e-mail her at kohlbreb@sunyocc.edu