Lydia Street Gallery Offers a New Perspective.

Words by Abby L. Johnson Photos by Eric Morales

In a city full of emerging artists and new voices yearning to be heard, sometimes it becomes easy to overlook the blossoming, ever-evolving work of long-established artists. Deanna Miesch, owner and gallerist of Lydia Street Gallery, hopes to rectify that.

When starting a new endeavor, most don’t know where the road will lead at the onset. Yet, Deanna Miesch is one of the lucky few to receive a sign that her decision to open up an art gallery was the right move when she unwittingly cracked open a fortune cookie. Though the plans to open Lydia Street Gallery were already in motion, her fortune simply stated ‘Now is a really good time to start an art gallery,’ fortifying her resolve. With the wisdom of a timely little scrap of paper to back her up, she forged ahead with her mission to create a new kind of art gallery: one that made space for underrepresented voices in the Austin art scene.

Thus, at the start of 2021, the distinctive gallery was born in East Austin. Although the city of Austin is renowned for its lively art scene, Deanna shrewdly recognized that there was a “dearth of spaces for mid- and late-career artists.” Upon deciding to convert part of her space into a gallery, Deanna wanted to use it as a blank canvas for such artists. Despite its modest footprint, the gallery offers plenty of wall space and opportunities for creative installations, of which the showing artists have full rein to manipulate the space as they wish. As a gallerist, Deanna’s philosophy is not to micro-manage her selected artists but offer them an opportunity to curate their own exhibit. 

Perhaps the most rewarding and unique aspect of featuring the work of those who are well-seasoned in their craft is the innate ‘beauty of the full oeuvre.’ Walking through an exhibit at Lydia Street Gallery, one should not expect to see just one series. Viewers will be delighted to see the many mediums and themes explored in a lifetime of creation. This unique lens of viewing allows art enthusiasts a behind-the-scenes peek into the artist’s mind, a small glimpse into an otherwise inaccessible inner world. 

Prior to opening the gallery, Deanna has been in the minimalistic, unassuming space on Lydia Street for 10 years as an Art Therapist. In an eclectically furnished side room filled with her own works and those admired from past shows sits her office, where she still practices as a therapist today. Though that career path has been extremely gratifying, the space was yearning for more.

In one small gallery on Lydia Street, Deanna finds the notion that artists must go to NYC or LA to make it “ridiculous,” as she frankly, yet light-heartedly puts it. After viewing the gallery for themselves, visitors are sure to agree with the sentiment. Her home-base is located firmly in the heart of the East End IBIZ District, aptly named after the street on which her gallery is situated. 

Did you know? 
Deanna hosts each of the Lydia Street Gallery exhibiting artists through in-depth interviews, providing an inside look into their exhibits. Full video recordings of these conversations can be found on the Lydia Street Gallery YouTube channel.

Contact:
LydiaStreetGallery@gmail.com
lydiastreetgallery.com
@lydiastreetgallery