Page 20 - the NOISE March 2015

THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
15 YeaRs oF an aRts destination
A gem of San Francisco Street, West of the Moon vibrates inside & out, with her matron, Carolyn Young at the helm (LEFT), and acclaimed artists such as Shonto Begay (TOP RIGHT) & Connie Tonwsend (BOTTOM RIGHT) regularly showcasing.
CaleB mcCluRe
photos BY
BY Rene R. RiVas
stepping into West of the Moon, visitors find they’re step- feet and much more room to show artists’ work. west of the
Ido. IgettobeabletodomyartworkatworkandIgetto bring my dog, so it’s a great living.”
Featured artist for March is ceramicist Jerry McGlothlin. Mr. McGlothlin lives in sedona, and it is his first time showing at west of the Moon. Originally from st. Joseph, Missouri, he went into the military, then studied ceramics at University of nevada, Las Vegas. He fell in love with pottery almost immediately.
“I think part of what I like about pottery is actually work- ing with it and doing it. A big part of it is also the group of people who are all associated with it — there’s a kind of camaraderie with other potters. It’s very interesting seeing how other people approach it and that’s what keeps me in it — and a deep seated love of doing it, because it’s just so much fun,” says Mr. McGlothlin.
After he received his Bachelors of Art from UnLV he pur- sued a Masters in Art education. He moved to Flagstaff in the 1980s, and started working at Lowell observatory in 1982 as a groundskeeper. He was living with a group of artists creat- ing and working, and the observatory supported his artistic work. They let him keep a studio, and eventually he was able to have a yearly show in the Rotunda building. The show was his largest of the year and where he was able to sell the most work. It ran every December for about 20 years, until 2010.
“I was pretty well engulfed in Lowell Observatory. I took care of the grounds, the building, the maintenance and the upkeep, lived there and had a studio there, so it was pretty much my life for a while,” Mr. McGlothlin says. when he retired, he and his wife moved to sedona, and he opened up a little shop ap- propriately named Jerry McGlothlin Pottery. He still comes up to Flagstaff often to show and sell his work. It’s a place he feels connected to and wants to continue to be a part of.
Pottery helps Mr. McGlothlin sift through, and smooth out life’s troubles. He tries to avoid thinking about whether an item will sell and, for the most part, just tries to enjoy the experience. “I like the fluidity of the clay and the way it’s so tactile. You could be having a fairly rotten day and go to the studio and it pretty well melts away,” describes Mr. McGlothlin.
west of the Moon celebrates its cardinal year on March 6, during Artwalk, 14 n. san Francisco, with live music from gui- tarist Craig Yarbrough. WestOfTheMoonGallery.com
| Caleb mcClure likes to the view the moon from the west. arts@thenoise.us
ping into a creative, peaceful atmosphere. There’s a can- dle burning, tranquil music playing and it seems to open one up to view the multitude of artists represented here. Owner Carolyn Young believes art is an experience, and she tries to create an experience that appeals to all the senses.
Besides the candles and music, she tries to keep chocolate around and artwork that is appropriate for the feel of the space. “I just want it to be a peaceful, beautiful place. I guess it’s not always peaceful sometimes during Artwalk. I just want people to come in and enjoy,” she says. A couch in the far left corner waits if anyone wants to sit, relax and soak up all of the art. Ms. Young creates a friendly atmosphere, and visitors feel welcome and among friends.
when Ms. Young first opened the gallery, she only had an eight by ten foot space to show the art she loved. That one room gallery, small enough to be a walk-in closet, would eventu- ally become one of Flagstaff’s most prominent art hubs. March marks west of the Moon’s 15th anniversary, and things are much different now than they were when it first opened.
Ms. Young moved to Flagstaff almost 30 years ago after visiting a friend in the area. she quickly knew this was the place she wanted to be. “It just felt like coming home,” she said. she moved into a little log cabin in Heart Prairie where she raised her daughter and worked on her art.
In 2000, because of an urge to have a place to show her work and the work of her friends apart from galleries, she opened a little gallery across from the Hotel Monte Vista. Being an artist herself, she was able to find 15 artists to fill the space. “we had all these people who were friends of ours. we wanted to sell their work so it made it pretty easy,” Ms. Young recalls.
It was slow at the start. Both the size and location pre- sented challenges in those first years. “It was a super cool gal- lery, but it was tiny,” shares Connie Townsend, a local painter who shows her work in west of the Moon. “she did represent some incredible art even then.”
“I think the Artwalk really helped establish us,” Ms. Young remembers as she speaks of the early days. “we had a lot of local friends who knew us and of our place.”
The gallery ran gradually, but successfully for about five years when Ms. Young partnered with Shonto Begay who ran the gallery next door. They knocked out the wall, which separated the two galleries and created a bigger, collabora- tive space for local art. The gallery had three hundred square
Moon stayed at the Aspen Avenue location for another seven years, until the time for change became apparent. “when you spend about 10 years in a little tiny room like that, working seven days a week you get a little batty,” said Ms. Young. For her it was “time to sink or swim,” and she decided to swim.
west of the Moon moved to its current location in 2012, and since the move Ms. Young has been working harder than ever to promote the work she loves. “we’re a lot busier, we have a lot more artists, a lot more traffic and more of every- thing. It is a lot more work, so I don’t get as much of my own beadwork done anymore.” Ms. Young says. she spends her days selling work, rearranging the shop, cleaning, managing the books and booking shows.
Artists come to west of the Moon looking for a place to show their work, and Ms. Young has upwards of 70 artists she represents. now it’s not just her good friends who are being shown in her gallery, but artists from all over Arizona seek her out to show their work.
“I just always thought of her gallery as one of the higher end galleries in Flagstaff and it was always like, ‘maybe some- day I’ll be good enough to be in Carolyn’s gallery,’” says Ms. Townsend, who has been showing her work in west of the Moon since the larger location opened up.
what does it take to get into west of the Moon Gallery? It’s all a matter of taste. “I’ve got to really like it,” Ms. Young ex- plains. “It’s got to be something that I believe in — that I can sell. I’m not doing any good if I don’t like it because I’m not that great of an actress.”
when it comes to promoting her artists, Ms. Young is one of the best in the business. “she’s serious and knowledgeable, and knows what to say of various artists,” says Mr. Begay, who has been an artist in Flagstaff for 17 years and has had a regu- lar show at the gallery.
“I think it’s very important that it started out at a small hole in the wall and evolved into one of the largest galleries in Flagstaff,” expresses Mr. Begay. “It’s very eclectic and it has good, stable artists. It’s almost the center of the art commu- nity, other than the Coconino Center of the Arts and the Mu- seum of northern Arizona.”
Of her gallery life, Ms. Young says, “I love it. I have a great job. I can look at beautiful things all day. It suits my personal- ity and I think I’d really miss it if I didn’t have my clientele. I’ve made a lot of friends through the years. I see them and we have great working relationships or friendships. I love what
20 • MARCH 2015 • the NOISE arts & news • thenoise.us