Susan Schauer John
The Zebra Gallery shows its unique and provocative stripes in Easton’s art scene
Written by Joe Willey | Photography by Jill Jasuta
A work of art often takes a circuitous route from inception to completion. Accidental influences frequently alter the decisions of the artist, leading to surprising outcomes.
Susan Schauer John knows firsthand how seemingly insignificant choices can also change life as permanently as they change artwork. The unplanned can be exhilarating.
The multidisciplinary artist, owner and curator of The Zebra Gallery in Easton has created a space where artists are encouraged to exhibit the ever-changing impact of life on their art.
In the early 1980s, Susan was a graduate student studying neurophysiology at Princeton University. Needing a break after a couple of years of intense study, a friend suggested she visit the Eastern Shore to rest.
Susan never left. Instead, she got a job at a boatyard. Lashed to a boat, working on a floating dock, surrounded by the sound of water and the tang of the breeze, her life was idyllic. Eventually, she bought a yacht charter business. When a customer gave her a wood lathe in lieu of payment, she learned with a sense of wonder. She became a professional woodturner for the next 16 years, exhibiting at elite galleries across the United States. Always transforming, she then became a successful portraitist and now works with fiber and thread in a surprisingly realistic style she calls “freelism.”
The Zebra Gallery is an extension of Susan’s evolving art and life. A family member has a rare genetic condition called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), so the gallery name reflects the symbol used to represent the condition. Each person diagnosed with EDS has unique symptoms. Like zebras, no two sets of stripes—or EDS symptoms—are identical. It is an appropriate metaphor to represent artists and their work.
Artists uncomfortable with stagnation feel at home in the gallery. Susan wants visionaries who continue to experiment. “Does this artist use a technique, or have a way of seeing, that I haven’t seen before?” she asks. Perhaps there is a unique medium used to create a sculpture, she explains. Maybe it is a common object rendered with luxurious detail. Certainly the styles vary. Each artist at The Zebra Gallery does things differently.
Currently, the collective vision of the gallery and its artists is being shown in the “Faces of Us” exhibition. The show opened in February to coincide with Black History Month and runs through March. The works featured showcase the diversity of materials and styles used by The Zebra Gallery artists but all focus on the human face. These portraits explore something seemingly commonplace but infinitely unique. No faces are exactly alike. Artists went beyond what is familiar in most portraits to draw from the poignant humanity coursing through everyone. Though the differences in technique, composition, and medium are apparent, this exhibit reveals the universal human experience. Instead of being separated by differences, the show unites everyone.
THE LITTLE ZEBRA
Susan opened a satellite gallery at The Market at Dover Station in Easton, a curated art and design market featuring found goods, original art and local craftsmanship.
Susan Schauer John has a keen eye. Her varied background, artistic discernment and life experience lead her to choose the works exhibited at the gallery. Simple ideas may be safe, even beautiful, but that is not her goal.
At The Zebra Gallery, there is a novelty in the ordinary, and perspectives challenge perceptions. It is a place to go and see something seen before in a new, unexpected way. CS
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