Local artist aims to open doors for local creatives!
Sabre Esler always knew she wanted to be an artist. Her family supported that dream but with a reminder to turn her passion into a sustainable career. “They were like, ‘Don’t be a starving artist,’” she says. That advice shaped her path. Esler, who lives in Brookhaven, earned a dual degree in science and art from Miami University of Ohio in 1988, initially intending to become a medical illustrator. She later pivoted to design and advertising and then to fine art full-time after earning her MFA from SCAD in 2015. She went on to create paintings, prints and sculptures that explore the relationship between natural and manmade systems. But as she worked as an artist in Atlanta, she noticed a void she wanted to fill. In 2024, Esler founded The Pollinator Art Space at The Goat Farm, an experimental exhibition space in West Midtown that showcases art from established and emerging artists to help them connect with collectors. Here, she shares how she became an artist, what inspires her work and the story behind The Pollinator.
How did you become an artist?
I think most artists start as children. We just never stop. I ended up doing design work and advertising after college. I followed my husband around the country and picked up advertising gigs. Finally in 1995, I decided to go on this journey of doing fine art. I went back to graduate school in 2012 for a specific skill set to really understand it. I haven’t stopped since then.
What is the inspiration behind your art?
It’s psychology. I read a lot of books about why people think the way they do. I take about 5% of what they’ve written and turn that into visual imagery about things we don’t see that are driving forces behind what we’re doing as humans and how we’re trying to navigate it.
Why was it important for you to create The Pollinator Art Space platform?
In the Atlanta art scene, there are not that many spaces for artists who are doing a lot of inquiry and pushing boundaries, particularly in material like I am. My original intention was to do a co-op, but when I negotiated with The Goat Farm to do this exhibition space, the other artists didn’t have the bandwidth or ability to do it.
So I said, “All right, I’ll just do it on my own.” I’m still actually looking for partners if anybody wants to join me. I’m having a lot of fun with it, but it is a daunting task at the same time. I have found so many wonderful artists and continue to engage with them. I’m doing it in a curatorial way as opposed to a gallery. It’s like a mini Atlanta contemporary or a teeny tiny MOCA Georgia.
What has been most fulfilling since you founded The Pollinator Art Space?
The joy from the artists, from being able to interact with people. I’m calling it the pollinator space because I’m trying to connect people.
What do you hope the space will be in five years?
I’m working with young people who want to learn what it’s like to run an exhibition space from curation to studio visits, managing the media and the collector base. And that’s what we’re really trying to grow. I hope to teach people that it’s a fun experience to collect original artwork.
To build a collector base, build interest and support artists in Atlanta would truly be a meaningful thing. It’s so desperately needed for all these artists who just want to make a living. You need a collector base to keep artists here.
SABRE ESLER
sabreesler.com
@sabreeslerfineart
THE POLLINATOR ART SPACE
thepollinatorartspace.com
@artpollinatorspace
STORY: Brandi Fowler
