Parks Gallery in Taos celebrates its 15th anniversary with a group exhibition opening September 13, that includes work by some 30 artists who have been featured over the years. “It’ll be like a family reunion,” says Stephen Parks who, with his wife Joni Tickel, opened the gallery in 1993.
- Jim Wagner – On the Way Home
The gallery began with Zink and Wagner, along with Taos photographer Willi Wood and Coyote, NM painter Douglas Johnson. Susan Contreras from Santa Fe followed soon after. “We’d known those five and their work for a long time and had a sense that we could sell their art and make a go of it. All of them are still with us,” says Parks. Others who came in later, like Johnnie Winona Ross and Marc Baseman have exhibited with Parks and gone on to prestigious galleries in New York.
Erin Currier - Marina y Andrea
Parks and Tickel are especially proud of the artists they “discovered” and helped launch what are now enviable careers. “We first saw a little piece of Erin Currier’s seven or eight years ago in a Taos coffee shop,” Parks says. “It was a Buddha figure composed of trash and Erin was making latte’s behind the counter. We suggested she get a small body of work together and bring it by the gallery. Now she’s a star and certainly one of the hottest artists in New Mexico.
“And Mical Aloni – she had a tiny embroidery portrait in a Taos Open show more than a decade ago and we were stunned by the virtuosity. After a series of very successful shows with us she’s gone on to national renown.”
The artists who have shown at Parks cover a wide aesthetic range, from Ted Larsen’s minimalism to Victoria Carlson’s madcap imagery, Arthur Lopez’s contemporary bultos and Marsha Skinner’s deeply moving abstractions. “What draws us first is originality,” says Parks. “Then it’s vision and skill of execution, and finally something intangible, something about the chemistry between artist and dealer. It’s a family affair.”
Other artists included in the Parks Gallery 15th Anniversary exhibition are Larry Bell, Stacy Brown, Anthony Hassett, Colette Hosmer, Gendron Jensen, Joel Lage, Armond Lara, M’Liz Keefe, Carol Mothner, Robert Parker, Paul Pascarella, Holly Roberts, John Schrup, Sam Scott, Jan Sessler, Teresa Swayne, and Emily Trovillion
The exhibition opened Saturday, September 13, with a reception from 4 to 6 pm, and will be up through October 7.
For more information, call 575-751-0343.
October 1, 2008 at 9:52 pm |
Greetings. I’m Steve Storz, Director of Sales here at the Parks Gallery. My current message would be to any of you who can attend, in person, or on our website at http://www.parksgallery.com , the Parks Gallery’s current 15th Anniversary show of artists who have shown with us at the gallery in the past decade and a half. Though I have only been working for the Parks Gallery since August 2007, I have known of their presence in Taos since the mid 1990’s when I moved here. I have also known of the work of many of their artists for that time and am very delighted to see them represented together in this exhibition. Artists like Melissa Zink, Holly Roberts, and Marsha Skinner who have grown, become more sophisticated, delved, in courageous ways, deeper into their own mythos, and emotions. Jim Wagner, who continues to experiment with content and technique to share his love of the land, people, and animals of this region and yet remain consistent in his colorful and passionate delivery. I’ve also delighted in soaking in the work of some of the artists I just hadn’t had time to get more familiar with before. What a treat to get to know creative sorts like Ted Larsen, who, after my own delight of working with cast-off metal, has shown me a whole new level of subtleties of the object, reconfiguring scrap into works of sublime interest and beauty that expands their previous life into a new a one that evokes a new sense of monumental language.
I have linked more of my own sensitivity about collecting art during my time here to the task of placing art in homes and offices and public places which has grown my understanding of the role of an art gallery as a liaison between artist and collector. It is an Aurora Borealis-like shimmering of personalities, moods, bankrolls, and attractions that float around the artworks. The time one spends with art is crucial to this regard. Each moment can set distance further away or bring one closer, as the intricacies of a painting, sculpture, etching, or other artwork seep across the space and embed itself in the viewer. Or, the viewer allows the essences of the art to slide into their psyche.
Steve Storz
October 1, 2008 at 11:09 pm |
This is Angelina, Office Manager here at the Parks Gallery. I will be continually updating the blog with the latest press releases, upcoming exhibitions, and news.
I have been with the gallery for a little over a year now, during which time I have witnessed the unveiling of some of the most inspiring and breathtaking works of art from the group of outstanding artists represented by Parks Gallery.
The latest Exhibition, the 15th Anniversary Celebration, went wonderfully. The over all ambiance of the show was more like a “family get-together” than an exhibition. There were some good sales made, and the show continues to receive fine remarks from gallery patrons.
October 30, 2008 at 11:19 am |
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