RIVER…an Event Space with a Crush on Creatives

An echo rings off the walls as CRÉATEUR’s owner and publisher Aria discusses the essence of River, an event space for Seattle creatives, with Jessica Ghyvoronsky and Erika Vasquez Jun, River’s founders.

“We want to be the source of why people want to continue to even do what they’re doing,” Erika says when discussing how they came up with the moniker RIVER. “I had a dream . . . of having this overflow of a river into the city . . . a space where creativity is almost birthed or almost growing and there’s an overflow out of that door and into the city . . . A dream of water running through Seattle and . . . our space was one of the sources.”

With the help of Seattle Restored of Seattle Good Business Network, that dream manifested into the 3000 square foot, industrial, blank canvas building that is RIVER. Jessica and Erika repurposed River out of a 100-year-old building into a place where creatives can live out their dreams and really be seen.

Their mission of accessibility by marginalized groups and creators who typically can’t afford spaces to showcase their work is heavily backed by their personal backgrounds as creative people of color. Jessica, a Korean-American who identifies as an artist, makes it her personal mission to pursue people who don’t have many opportunities available to them to make a profession out of their creativity. Erika, a Latina, immigrant, and vintage clothing curator, relates to those who are ingrained to work harder than everyone else. She uses RIVER to fight the “starving artist” archetype and provide a platform for creatives to do what they love for a living.

In 2014, before RIVER, when Jessica was still new to Seattle, she started “Seattle Art Post” on Instagram. She had just discovered the vast pool of Seattle creatives lurking beneath the surface and felt a calling to promote the “talented but unrecognized.” She realized that Seattle creators had unique needs that weren’t being met and resolved to create the space to eliminate that. It started as shout-outs, and over time, evolved into a meeting of the minds where people could network, critique, and share resources.

Erika curates her own vintage pop-up shop, Frida, which the two coupled with curated art shows at the Seattle Art Post pop-up gallery in Kirkland. With the success of these pop-up projects, the model for RIVER was born.

Jessica and Erika met in 2015 at their mutual friend’s funeral. They describe the late Stephan Reed as an inspirational force, beloved by the community, who “lived life hard.” Jessica and Erika formed a tight spiritual bond shortly after, especially after discovering they attended the same church. With Jessica’s administrative background, she handles more of the backbone, managerial, always-at-the-desk stuff. But unlike the corporate world, RIVER offers more balance in her life. Erika’s curator talents draw her more toward working with the vendors and makers’ markets.

Together, they’ve built a consistent module. Holding events weekdays year round of all kinds from corporate to workshops and even puppy yoga—reserving weekends for artist events such as galleries, music concerts, markets, galas, and classes. Through it all they strive to facilitate community. With Monday night Community Dinners (free meals for those without homes and/or low income), monthly RIVER Night Markets and keeping their rental prices affordable.

Jessica and Erika want to bless others the same way they were blessed by those who gave them the means to develop River.

The ideal candidate is polite, punctual, responsive, and cares about their project at the same level that River cares about promoting it. They want to be a “stepping stone” for creatives on their journey toward recognition. If you’re working with River, you’ll be expected to rise to the occasion and take ownership of your path. That means doing your own marketing, but also claiming RIVER as your own space. Jessica and Erika don’t hover, they stick to the shadows and let you take control. RIVER gives creatives autonomy, a scarce element in creative professions and one that deserves appreciation.

If you’re a creative interested in working with River, or just want to check out more of the work they do for the Seattle community, you can head to their website at riverseattle.com, or follow them on Instagram, @riverseattle. They are located at 1927 3rd Avenue Seattle, WA 98101 in Belltown. They host a wide range of events like retreats, parties, and weddings, but their heart is with the creators.