Claire Johnston and Jim German - with backbar.
Porcelien exhibit at AMO ART
AMO ART and jimgermanbar: Bringing New Vision and Flavor to Waitsburg
AMO ART and jimgermanbar: Bringing New Vision and Flavor to Waitsburg
By Ken Graham
It's a cold evening in Waitsburg, just after New Years. You need to warm up – and see a friendly face or two. So you drop into jimgermanbar for a glass of 12-year-old scotch. Or, if you're more adventurous, you might try a Caipiranha – the national drink of Brazil – made with Cachaca Brazilian Rum. Either way, you discover that Claire Johnston and Jim German's new drinking and eating establishment on Waitsburg's Main Street is the perfect place to warm your fingers and your bones. But how did this nice place get here, you wonder.
Well, a few years ago Claire and Jim were looking for an inspiring place to create art. While visiting friends in Walla Walla they came to Waitsburg and saw the century-old former Odd Fellows Hall, which was for sale. "When we saw it, we knew this was it," says Claire. "It would provide us a wonderful studio space as well as a place to live." In addition, Claire and Jim could establish a place where locals and visitors could gather in a casual atmosphere with reasonably priced food and drink. "And Waitsburg is such a peaceful and inspiring place to live and work," says Claire.
Besides the bar, Claire and Jim have also opened the AMO Art Gallery next door. They have created living space behind the gallery and are building their art studio in what used to be the upstairs ballroom.
Claire and Jim both grew up in the Seattle area. Claire moved to southern California in the late 1980s, after studying art at Seattle's Cornish Institute. She worked for four years as a project manager for international exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and then for seven years as a project manager for Bill Viola, an internationally known artist.
Jim, who grew up in Edmonds, studied art history at the University of Washington, and has traveled to Europe many times, studying art and antiquities there. "I worked as a bar manager, which allowed me to take time off to travel," he says. Jim lived and worked in Rome for about six months in 1997.
In July 2005, Claire and Jim purchased the building and moved to Waitsburg. "The building needed a new roof, and it had no heat," Jim says now. "And we had to make a place to live." Both Claire and Jim found work in Walla Walla, and then set to work on the building. Jim, who was the bar manager for ten years at Campagne, a restaurant near Seattle's Pike Place Market, became the bar manager at Whitehouse Crawford. Claire went to work for K Vintners.
In late 2005 the building was re-roofed and work began on the apartment and the gallery space. "We lived here for two years without heat," says Claire. Space heaters were used in winter to keep the apartment livable. The whole building is now comfortably warm, thanks to a new heat pump installed this year.
The AMO Art Gallery (AMO is an acronym for Art Movement Organization) opened in October 2006. The Gallery, located in the northernmost of the building's three storefront bays, hosts shows of single artists – usually for two months. The gallery is currently featuring porcelain sculpture by Seattle artist Jamil Scherief. Claire, who serves as the gallery's manager, says that she plans for the gallery to always serve as a venue for other artists. She also hopes to create an "artist-in-residency" program in their studio and gallery.
"Jim and I plan to show our own work in the bar," Claire says. Claire specializes in sculptural installations using "light boxes". Jim does drawings and paintings on unusual surfaces, such as sheet aluminum and old nautical maps. Examples of both of their work can be seen in the bar.
While art was the motivation for their move to Waitsburg and purchase of the building, Claire and Jim knew that they also wanted to have a business that would generate income to support them and that would provide a gathering space they could share with Waitsburg residents and visitors. Jim has used his long history in the bar business to create a casual gathering spot with fine cocktails and spirits, and tapas and appetizers. The bar, which opened in July 2007, features food created by David Laufenburg, former Sous Chef at Walla Walla's Creektown Restaurant. Diners can enjoy an almond and olive appetizer plate with crostini toasted bread, a wonderful polenta with pesto sauce, or David's specialty – Duck Confit. Most menu items are under ten dollars.
Besides cocktails, and a selection of more than 100 spirits, jimgermanbar features locally brewed beer from Waitsburg's Laut Nepur brewery and a selection of inexpensive European wine. "We love local wines," says Jim, "and we're indebted to the wine culture here. But we wanted to provide something different." Jim points out that visitors to the bar are welcome to bring their own local wine to drink, with no corkage fee. "We want people to enjoy the fellowship here, in whatever way works best for them," he says.
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