An expert in the diverse art and photography of the American South, Rebekah Jacob has created her gallery with skilled enthusiasm and a deep, personal knowledge of all aspects of the art market. Combining dedicated scholarship with practical experience, Jacob earned a B.A. in English and M.A in Art History at the University of Mississippi and later taught Art History with a Southern focus there and at two other universities. She holds a Certificate in Appraisal Studies in Fine and Decorative Arts from New York University and is Certified Member of the Appraisers Association of America.

Since its founding, the gallery has subscribed to the highest level of connoisseurship and scholarship with an in-depth focus on modern art and photography of the American South.  Jacob has curated several works on paper exhibitions that explore contemporary artists, such as Tim Hussey and Kevin Taylor, working in the tradition of the mid-century modernists:  “found materials,” abstract surfaces, quotation, and non-conventional materials like house paint and coffee.  Recently, Jacob contributed to Tim Hussey’s biographical documentary Running by Sight: A Visual Artist’s Journey, which follows the artist through a year of inspiration, production, and gallery exhibitions.  Jacob has also focused on special projects that explore the Civil Rights and Martin Luther King era by exhibiting photojournalists James Karales, Ernest Withers, among others.  Currently, Jacob and Monica Karales, Executrix of the James Karales Estate, are co-editing a publication on Karales’ Civil Rights images.  Consistently, Jacob curates a multi-media exhibitions that brings together progressive artists-seasoned and emerging-who have expanded the conventional definitions of their medium, intersecting currents of contemporary art today.

Well-versed in the emerging art scene of Cuba, Jacob saw an opportunity to juxtapose the work of the two regions and has curated several exhibitions of Southern and Cuban artwork in both Havana and throughout the Southeast. Projects have included a show of Southern photographer Milly Moorhead at the 2000 Cuban Biennale and later at the Bacardi Museum in Santiago, as well as an exhibition of renowned modern Cuban photographers Alberto Korda, Roberto Salas, and Raul Corrales at the Southside Gallery in Oxford, Mississippi. Spring 2008, in collaboration with the Center for Cuban Studies, Jacob curated a multi-media exhibition Beyond the Door at the Avery Institute, which included five Cuban artists living and working in the land of their birth.

At the helm of Charleston’s visual art scene, Jacob was honored top “50 Most Progressive” by Charlie Mag and voted top “10 Most Stylish” by Charleston Magazine.  Her community involvement includes a board member of the Gibbes Museum’s Young Collectors Society of 1858, among other local art organizations and charities.  Jacob has served as a selected juror for publications highlighting top emerging Southern artists such as the Oxford American.  Jacob’s expertise continues to put her in demand as a consultant for numerous private and corporate collectors.  Always seeking out the very best talent through active roles in professional organizations, travels, and a strong personal network, Jacob strives to present a selection of high-quality work to a wide audience of art enthusiasts with her trademark passion and dedication.