Rowe Fine Art Gallery Celebrates a Decade of Art in March
The year was 2010, and bronze wildlife sculptor Ken Rowe was eager for a new project. He had been sculpting since 1987 and living in Sedona since 1995, and he had a feeling there was another adventure on the horizon. When a small space in Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village became available, Ken and his wife, Monica, decided that new adventure was opening their first art gallery. Rowe Fine Art Gallery made its debut in March of that year.
It wasn’t Ken and Monica’s first foray into business ownership. The Arizona natives owned and operated a taxidermy studio in Phoenix for 14 years. With the gallery, their biggest mission was to represent a wide array of traditional and contemporary southwestern artists without any overlap. They wanted art collectors to step into the gallery and see artwork that reflected not only the landscape and culture of the Southwest but also the collector’s personal design aesthetic, whether it be modern or traditional, bright and bold or neutral and natural. At the time, Ken said, “Each artist has their distinctive style, and each was chosen because they complement each other in the same way the gallery space complements their work. Monica and I strive to give our artists a really good venue for exhibiting their art.”
A lot has changed at Rowe Fine Art Gallery in the past 10 years, including the location (the gallery moved into a larger space in Tlaquepaque less than two years later), but the philosophy has remained the same. That’s one of the reasons why the gallery has represented many of the same artists since it opened its doors and continues to be an art destination for patrons from around the world.
On Friday, March 6, Ken and Monica invite you to join them and a selection of their artists for A Decade of Design, the gallery’s 10th anniversary celebration, from 5 to 8 p.m. Ken says he’s proud of how the gallery has evolved and looks forward to toasting this milestone.
“Monica and I knew we were taking a leap of faith when we decided to open our own gallery 10 years ago,” says Ken. “Little did we know that it would be one of the most rewarding experiences of our lives. We’ve made lifelong friendships with artists and collectors, and I feel like we’ve become an integral part of Sedona’s art community. I’m not one to spend much time looking backward, but when we reflect on those who’ve come through our door – yes, even the bobcat who was our guest of honor one night – my heart swells with pride and emotion.”
Cheers to 10 more years of making memories with art!
Rowe Fine Art Gallery represents traditional and contemporary southwestern artists including Julie T. Chapman, Dane Chinnock, Kim Diment, Jen Farnsworth, Lynn Heil, Liam Herbert, Jennifer Inge, Kim Kori, Sue Krzyston, Alvin Marshall, Erik Petersen, John Poon, John Rasberry, Amy Ringholz, Ken Rowe, Jason Scull, Gabor Svagrik and Joshua Tobey. The gallery, located under the bell tower in Patio de las Campanas at Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call 928-282-8877 or visit www.rowegallery.com.