Amalgam Gallery of Art

Housed in an old horse barn built over a century and a half ago, the Amalgam Gallery of Art, dubbed the “little gallery in the middle of nowhere,” is the only art gallery for scores of miles in any direction from its home in the historic village of Caledonia, Missouri. 

The gallery sits on four acres of property belonging to the Old Caledonian Bed & Breakfast, a brick mansion built in 1849, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, like many of the buildings in Caledonia. Owners Jon Emanuel and Penny Province opened the gallery in what they refer to as an “art desert,” an area lacking in places to view and buy art, but, they add, with no shortage of artists themselves who needed a place to show their work. 

The former horse stable makes for a unique gallery, with reclaimed wood, a tobacco basket chandelier, and original hand-hewn beams and posts. The walls are now hung with painted canvases, photography, and drawings by local artists. Amalgam also has works by nationally and internationally known artists, featuring Native American-inspired pottery, wood cuts from Berlin, and intricate glass works. As of this writing, Amalgam is also home to the only Art-o-mat currently in Missouri. Not bad for a place in the middle of nowhere! 

Behind the gallery is another barn featuring the largest mural in the area, which depicts the entire Caledonia Historic District. It was painted, under the direction of artist Jeff Smith, in a paint-by-numbers fashion with help from the entire community. All are welcome to view the mural during visits to Caledonia.