Meet Jennifer Adams | Artist, Photographer, Dressmaker, Tailor, Farmer, Gallery Chairman

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennifer Adams and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Three things (business) I have begun or been the spearhead all started out of passion and wanting more for my community and for myself.

First and foremost I am a creator. I am an artist, a photographer specializing in a Holga plastic camera – using 120 black and white film, and writer. In 2019, I was given the push to return to my art and my should has been all the better for it. This is a business venture I have been on for years.

The Chamber Gallery of Art was my brainchild. As an artist, when I moved to Salem, OH, there were not a gallery anywhere near. So, I kept looking and thinking of ideas to begin one. CoVID year was almost a blessing in disguise. The Salem Area Chamber of Commerce moved buildings in 2020. In 2021 it hit me… So I messaged the Executive Director and said “Hey, you have all those white walls in your new building, we should use them as an art gallery”. And so it began. We opened the first solo exhibit in March of 2022. Currently we have 2024 full and 5 shows already on the books for 2025.

Lucky 7 Studios was begun 2018, however, I was earning enough money from it at the time. I had to do some “real work”, you know, the kind you get paid. So CoVID again – provided me the opportunity to redesign my work studio and increase my presence. I have done alterations and still do on occasion but prefer custom garments. All custom garments are made to fit the person “buying” them. As I write this, Lucky 7 Studios is being rebranded and marketed for what it truly is – Why fit in when you can stand out! Let L7S design the gown or suit made just for you! I am a designer, dressmaker, tailor, and pride myself in using couture techniques on even the most basic of garments.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am intrigued that I automatically chose Artist/Creative over the others, I didn’t really even look – it was almost like the world was saying – Hey You ART an Artist1 Not you might be, but you are!!! Accept its already. So there are two parts to this- me the artist and the Chamber Gallery of Art.

I started as an artist when I was about 6 or 7 maybe. I have two drawings from that time in my life and i can see art and the talent that come with it – I was born with that creative gene. I spent a bunch of time in PA in a cabin with my grandparents. This was a LONG time ago – so TV wasn’t all that important – but I watched PBS and KDKA. PBS gave me art lessons through its programming and KDKA helped me become a Steelers fan. Off and on over the next 10 or so years, i drew or sketched on everything, even my jean jacket in high school. I had grand dreams of going to The Art Institute in Chicago. Needless to say, that did not happen. I graduated a year early from high school and straight into college for stuff I truly had no interest. My art took the seat at the very back of the bus. In 2019, I became pregnant with my daughter and spent a lot of time in bed – so I picked up my art again. I almost threw it all away but them the song that moved me along – Eminems Lose Yourself – “Look, if you had one shot or one opportunity To seize everything you ever wanted in one moment Would you capture it, or just let it slip?” When I started back to college after my daughter was born, I was required to take a full load of classes but i knew there was no way I could handle 12 credit hours of all book work, so I took Drawing 1 the fall semester, and drawing 2 in the spring.

Since then my art career had been up and down. I created a number of paintings and drawings. Some of my paintings were sold – so in private collections, some were donated to organizations I felt strongly, and there are a few self portraits that should be framed and hung somewhere. In college one of the assignments was – oh gosh what was it?! The work that came from the assignment included: drawing veins and the body structures on my skin, my partner took photos and that was one part. The next two parts of the assignment for me included what I call “the venetian blind” series – most certainly abstract. The final in that series is one that I have intentions of completing a similar piece. I took make up and watercolor paper and painted on the water color paper – I cut them up and put them in random order and attached them to a large sheet of thick plastic. I believe I called it mask to something similar. After a while it fell apart.

As I write this, I am amazed at myself for all I have done in my life. One of my favorite public pieces are two mosaic tile benches that sit in Austin, PA at the Dam Association Park. They were so much fun. They were installed in 2008. What other notable information: juried artist into the PA Wilds in oil paintings, mosaic tile, watercolor, and something else. I was on the PA Rt 6 Artisan Trail as an artist. Moving back to Ohio in 2010, my photography has hung in Mac Worthington’s Gallery in Columbus, Ohio, along with three photos in the area annual Butler Institute of American Art in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

The hardest to overcome is someone told me I didn’t know what I was doing while I was painting – so I took that piece of art and buried it deep in the back of my stuff. I was stuck. I couldn’t paint, I could use my camera and write but not paint. This painting held other meanings behind it. I had to finish it to move forward. I posted on Facebook to my artist friends and they supported me through the finished piece. Since then I have completed at least 5 oil paintings and a number of smaller watercolors. I continue to paint and draw and I even had a large installation rolling around in my head based off of an idea I had on 2002 or so. There is also a photo series with book forthcoming also. I am hoping the grant I will be applying for will help some with the expenses.

Because I am an artist and had nowhere to display my work – that is how the Chamber Gallery of Art came to be. My career there will grow. All my time is volunteered, but someone reminded me Friday that I am here at this point in time for a reason – going back and changing anything would have deprived all those people i have touched to not have had the opportunities that have afforded them.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
living in a rural Appalachian county/town provides a different type of visit. 1. Start at LiB’s Market – the best coffee, tea, and pastries ever! Coffee is roasted in house.
2. Hop across the road (dont bother the light takes forever) to A Touch of Gracious Living – I work there part time… the smell of the flowers is divine. Let Jen tell you about how the shop got where it is today.
3. The quilt shop on the corner – leave your wallet in the car or you might spend all your money in there.
4. The Back Studios – this is where Kris D and her studio are located – I have been dying for a tour! Her art is amazing! I hope she has time to sit and have a coffee and tell us about her latest work…
5. Chris S – her studio is in town too – oh maybe we could get in to see hers too and spend some time just talking art!
6. Chamber Gallery of Art – this months artist is out of this world! Her demo Friday was amazing… We can check it out some afternoon after we have lunch as Horst down the way.
7. If its the right time of year – we can catch a show at the theatre …..
8.

Outiside of Salem Proper – there are so many other things to see in the county. The ceramics museum in East Liverpool, Antique shops in Columbiana, Source gallery in Lisbon. Beaver Creek state park – it has a lot of history – a visit on the right time of year would provide a working demonstration of the mill.

And so on…. so many historical areas to see and photograph or paint. So many scenic views that still tale my breath away when i crest the hill.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Honestly, every person that has ever come into my life, good, bad, or indifferent has led me to this moment right here, right now. More specifically, my best friend who always had my back – pushed me beyond my bounds – Rick A. He passed in 2018 after a long battle with cancer – i believe he would be proud of what I have done, especially with my photography. I am so very grateful for my sponsors, yes I am in recovery – March 13 will be 16 years. I had hid my art away for a long time because of what someone said – I didn’t know what I was doing. They had me bring some of my stuff in and then nurtured the part of me that I needed. My partner deserves a gold star for participation and knowing what I am going to do before I know. I believe sometimes he guides me toward the “right” answer. I feel like I am standing at the podium after I have won an award and trying to name off like every human that has an impact and not forget anyone – there are so many. Lastly, I want to thank my friend Lori – she is the one that will sit on the log beside me while I wrestle with whatever demon has made its way to the surface. She pushes me forward in my art and supported the art gallery from day 1. She knows me better than I know myself. She is my tether to earth as I begin to float away with all my grand ideas.

Website: https://lucky-7-studios.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucky_7_studios/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adams.jennifer.a