Speaking with Sean Alexander and Peter Lynn, the owners of The Helm Gallery, the main feeling I gathered was relief — not happiness, mind you, but relief. It’s been two years since The Helm Gallery opened its doors, and in that time Lynn and Alexander have been on the vanguard of new and exciting art in Tacoma. They built for themselves and their city a wholly unique and sorely missing haven of art and music and ideas — a breath of fresh air in the otherwise stagnant Tacoma art world.



The Helm’s official last day is Sunday, May 31; that is when their lease is up and they must vacate the space. “It’s fine. I feel good,” says Alexander. “We’ve learned a lot, me and Pete, (about) organization, what to do and what not to do, what I do and don’t like about this industry.”



The stress of keeping The Helm up and running, it seems, has weighed heavily on Lynn and Alexander. They admit to being “really flaky, especially in those last three months.” Alexander continues, “But the whole time it’s been this thing where ambition kind of was running higher than organization or management capabilities and finance. I’m glad not to be in that situation where ambition or love for doing something is tied to finances.”



Ambition has always been a defining characteristic of The Helm, especially in the case of the Squeak and Squawk Music Festival, an event Lynn and Alexander plan to repeat this year. While dates have not yet been set, plans are already being made to ensure that this year’s festival will be even more of a success than the last.



“This year,” says Alexander, “we’re hoping to add more venues and flip it on its head so it’s not about money; it’s not about one place prospering; it’s more about the music.”

Ultimately, The Helm fell victim to an unsustainable business in an industry where being independently wealthy seems to be the main requirement to keep and maintain a successful gallery. Added to that was a following that was smaller than desirable, Alexander provides an example: “I really wanted to have readings, but what we’ve found is that there’s not enough people seeking that. Because anyone who’s seeking something in a community would have found this place. So if someone was like, ‘I wanna see some indie rock shows’ or ‘I wanna see some weird performance’ or ‘I wanna see some kind of different art,’ they (would have) found us. But that community is smaller than most people in Tacoma would like to think.”



But Lynn and Alexander aren’t bitter about the closing, and for good reason. Regardless of its closure, anyone who’s been paying attention for the past two years would surely see The Helm as the achievement that it was. Far from being another one of the Tacoma art scene’s pipe dreams that makes a fuss for a couple of months before silently fading away, The Helm was open for two years, all the while persisting to explore and experiment with what a gallery could do.



“You won’t find very many arts institutions anywhere that care about young culture and also want to work with professionals,” says Alexander. The mixture of old and young, amateur and professional arts and music helped to set The Helm apart and give a soapbox to artists in a setting they wouldn’t have been able to land otherwise.



When asked what advice he could give to other people aspiring to break into the arts industry, Alexander pulled no punches. “It’s an expensive endeavor, and you can’t make it doing what we do,” he says. “Unless you’re a tool, it’s not going to work. You have to be a tool, man. You have to be a fucking ass-licker …. Fuck that. Fuck money. And fuck people who get involved in art for that reason.”



Those wanting to see The Helm off can catch their final opening May 21. The show — Points of Departure — features art by Phil Roach. However, Lynn and Alexander also hint at a possible “wake” for The Helm on their last day. Though they haven’t decided anything yet, the wake may include art, music, and much to drink. Lynn says, “Basically we’ve decided that we deserve to drink, that there should be some kind of celebration.”

Remember to spill a little for your fallen brothers.



[The Helm, Points of Departure, opens 6-9 p.m. May 21, then by appointment through May 31, 760 Broadway, Tacoma. www.thehelmgallery.com]