Speakeasy with - Caryn Liss

Celebrating its first anniversary, the small but passionately buy-local East Atlanta Sabra Gallery represents a diverse array of area artists whose work runs the gamut from handmade soaps and jewelry to mixed-media paintings. Co-owner Caryn Liss (pictured below, in foreground), who runs the space with partner Stephanie Halpern, sat down to explain the Sabra mission, their plans to open an art studio, and doing their part to keep EAV funky and community-minded.

Mission?

To create a space for emerging local artists where we could try to help them create careers out of their art. And another of our missions was to offer affordable fine art. This is sort of a bohemian area, and it's very diverse, and people can't always afford to buy an $8,000 or $20,000 piece.

What does Sabra mean?

Sabra has two meanings. A Sabra is a native Israeli woman. Stephanie and I are both Jewish, so it connects us with our heritage. More importantly, though, it is the fruit of a prickly pear cactus, which is prickly and hard on the outside and soft and sweet on the inside. It's a reminder that not everything is as it seems, that like with art, you have to look deeper.

Tell me about living in East Atlanta. What do you like about the neighborhood?

The community and the diversity. You have people who've lived in East Atlanta for 30, 60 years. And then you have these new young professionals who are moving in. You have this gentrification, which can sometimes be dangerous for a neighborhood because it dilutes the culture of the neighborhood. But I think East Atlanta has done such a good job creating a good connection between the two.