Its been a long road that has led Suzanne Camarata to open The Gallery at Highlands.
Back in the 70s, Camarata’s adopted family was living in Korea. She said back then, laws were very strict on American families bringing Korean babies back to the states.
“Back then, you weren’t allowed to take a child out, per se,” Camarata said. “You had to go through an agency in America. So, it was a very unusual situation. My dad’s job was overseas, but he knew eventually that we would move back to the states.”
Camarata’s father, Guy Camarata, worked for Caltex Petroleum Corporation and was tasked with the startup and operation of a new oil refinery in a remote part of South Korea.
Once returning to the United States, Camarata graduated from high school and then went on to graduate from the University of Rochester with a degree in political science and Japanese.
After college, Camarata ended up in Boston, and started working for Harvard School of Public Health, but she also started freelancing photography on the side, which is how she ended up in the art realm.
“I started doing freelance photography for a lot of the colleges in the area,” Camarata said. “I also did a lot of weddings and portraits.”
Camarata said she eventually got burnt out in Boston and needed a change.
“Immediately, I thought of Asheville,” Camarata said. “I had always worked as a freelance photographer in my home, so I wanted to rent a space for myself. I fell in love with my space, and then I realized that the space could be so much more than photography. I wanted to be able to showcase local artists, because there are so many with such talent.”
After opening an art gallery in her old high school in Flat Rock, it is now one of the area’s most well-known and respected art venues.
Taking a step back, before Asheville, Camarata was traveling between Asheville and Boston and happened upon a puppy that was stranded in the rain in Georgia.
“I was on a road trip by myself in Valdosta, Georgia,” Camarata said. “I stopped to take a photo, because it was a dreary, drizzly day. I was about to stop on the side of the road and slid into some mud and got stuck. I was panicked, because I didn’t have good cell phone service and I didn’t really know where I was. Suddenly, this puppy popped out of the trees, and she wouldn’t leave me alone.”
After calling her landlord in Boston, Camarata was left disappointed, because they would not allow her to bring Charlie back home.
“My mom told me to stop at a place called Charlie’s Angels Rescue,” Camarata said. “While I was waiting to take her, I met this woman in Brevard and she told me that she would watch the dog while I was away, because she guessed that I would be moving back to the area. So, she kept my dog for three months. I never made it to Charlie’s Angels and now she is the Gallery Ambassador.”
Camarata said she is excited to open her gallery this cited to open her gallery this month because of the good energy in Highlands.
“The energy of Highlands is really great,” Camarata said. “The small business owners that I have met so far, just really work hard. They are geared up for the season and I think there will really be a reaction to the art that we have here.”
One of the artists that Camarata will be featuring is Elizabeth Pell.
Pell knew Camarata while she was doing photography in Boston.
“I was also in the photography scene in Boston, but my husband and I were looking for a photographer for our wedding,” Pell said. “We found Suzanne and asked her, and that was 14 years ago. We really connected with each other and became best friends. So, whenever we would come to North Carolina we would always visit her gallery.”
Pell got into the art world because she said making things is her happy place.
“Whenever I make something, I am happy,” Pell said. “I am deeply imbedded in photography, but I have done carpentry, welding, ceramics, metal working, paper making, really anything where you have to make something.”
After visiting North Carolina several times, Pell decided to move to Brevard.
She said she is excited for the gallery to open so that Camarata will have another space to showcase local talent.
“I am excited for her to be able to access people in Highlands and Cashiers,” Pell said. “There are so many people that visit Highlands just to get away and I don’t know if they would make it to Flat Rock, so having this here will give an opportunity to Suzanne to bring art to these people.”
The Gallery at Highlands is located in Cabin Couture, at 468 Carolina Way. The gallery will have an opening reception on May 27, from 4 – 7 p.m.
- By Christopher Lugo