DOMICILE GALLERY

To many people, an art gallery can seem stuffy, pretentious, and unwelcoming. Which is the very reason Marisa Spooner-LeDuff chose Domicile to be the name of her inspired space in the heart of Madison Park. Born and raised in Louisiana, Marisa wanted the gallery to exude southern hospitality warmth and make neighbors feel right at home the minute they walk in. The Madrona resident opened Domicile in 2022 as an antidote to the isolation everyone had experienced the previous two years. “Covid robbed people of community,” she says, adding that her goal was to become the bridge that connected neighbors to their local artists. Make that hyper-local.  Marisa says that most of her featured artists live within two to three miles of the gallery. “We have so much local talent here,” she marvels. 

Domicile showcases everything from paintings, mixed media, and ceramics to furniture, sculpture, and jewelry. The gallery presents a new exhibition every six weeks, rotating between group shows and solo shows. Artist talks allow the community to get to know their creative neighbors. 

Forging connections is nothing new to Marisa. The self-described “serial entrepreneur” has a penchant for making people feel at home. One of her earlier careers: owner of Mudbugs at the Bayou, a Creole restaurant in Seattle’s Portage Bay neighborhood. There, too, customers were treated like family. She would often present guests with a spoonful of the entrée to see if they would like it spicier. That “come on in and try it” attitude extends to Domicile. Marisa emphasizes that the experience of visiting her gallery should be “transformative rather than transactional.” Wanting the gallery to be a gathering place for Madison Park, she encourages neighbors to host events such as book clubs and cocktail parties in her welcoming space.