Image From Mr. Vose, Caption: Mr. Vose pursues his passion for art and inspires his community to follow their dreams.
Many Washington students remember Mr. Vose as a P.E. teacher and a Track and Field coach at Washington High School. But a few years ago, he quit his full-time job to open an art gallery in Niles. This career change is unusual. Many teachers stick with the career until retirement, as they would lose access to the majority of their pension benefits by leaving the job too soon. Others have had another career, and later on in life they become a teacher. “They’ve been in the work world, computer tech world, and then they come to decide to teach,” said Ms. Duncan, a longtime PE teacher at Washington. “But I’m proud of Vose. He went to school here, he taught here, and now he’s on to the next part of his life.”
Although this sudden shift may surprise some people, Mr. Vose’s passion for art started at a young age. “My mom was always really encouraging,” he says. “She enjoyed art, so she encouraged my brother and me to pursue something we care about. So, we just grew up loving art. Everything from classical Michelangelo to regular comics and cartoons.”
His love for community pushed him to finally open the art gallery. “[Community] is one of the reasons why I love coaching so much. I love community, and I also love bringing people together. And so, starting this art gallery brought my passion for art and then my passion for people and bringing them together in a completely different way than what I have been doing for a long time.” An art gallery was always something he thought would be a great way to develop a community for those with a passion for art and to give local artists a voice. “It’s always been something that’s been on my mind for a long time,” he says. “Growing up, my brother and I rode our bikes to the comic book store. And so we would have loved to have had an art gallery or a place to learn how to do art near us. And so when it got to a [certain] point, I thought, you know what, let’s try doing that for other people.”
But even with his passions for art and community driving him to pursue his dreams, there were some issues along the way: “I had a bunch of voices in my head telling me it was a bad idea. I had to overcome my self-doubt and talk to some wise people to help encourage me to get past all that stuff and take some risks. I was about to step away from not doing it. When I got a call randomly from a guy here in Niles who had a space open here, I thought, you know what? Let’s do it.”
Taking the first step into pursuing your dreams is scary, but Mr. Vose believes you should “Work hard at something you love doing. And listen to the wise voices around you. Sometimes, we listen to people who say, ‘You can’t do this, you can’t do that.’ And sometimes, we listen to people who don’t know what they’re talking about. But there’s always something special about following your dreams.”For those interested in visiting Mr. Vose’s art gallery in Niles, the hours are from 3 pm to 5 pm, Wednesday to Friday, from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturdays, and 11 am to 4 pm on Sundays. Not only can you view different artists’ work, but you can also do a variety of workshops such as sculpting and painting. Mr. Vose is open to renting out his gallery for birthdays, workshops, concerts, and other small events. To see what’s available, you can visit his website at www.galerieartax.com. Those who want their work displayed in the art gallery can contact Mr. Vose at galerieartax@gmail.com or message him on Instagram @galeriearttax.
Eunice Yang is a senior at Washington High School and grew up in Fremont. She may be new to journalism but is interested in writing articles highlighting Fremont's diverse community in the features section of The Hatchet. In her free time, Eunice crochets and knits while watching her favorite T.V. show Brooklyn 99. She even enjoys baking muffins and cookies for her family and friends. When it comes to future plans, Eunice wants to be a nurse to continue making her community a better place.