Gundega Stevens, owner/curator of G44 Gallery in Colorado Springs, knows that art is subjective but reflects how the viewer feels. In celebrating her 10th anniversary as a gallery, Stevens admits her job – and calling – is about finding those right voices and taking chances on new ones while maintaining the commerce necessary to keep her business successful.
Before moving to a more extensive gallery space on East Boulder Street a little more than a year ago, Stevens started her business in a 500-square-foot space in a strip mall located in the southwest part of town on 8th Street in 2012. She said many people thought she was crazy at the time to take on such an endeavor, but she believed that people would discover it.
In the beginning, only a few people walked through the doors and those that did wonder why Stevens didn’t have the art of Pikes Peak or Garden of The Gods or even aspen trees on her walls. Stevens’ response: “That’s not what I’m doing. I’m doing abstract art.”
Now 10 years later, Stevens says G44 has evolved into what she hoped it would be. With the Kreuser Gallery and good friend Abby next door, Stevens is helping to create an art hub downtown that brings together energy between collectors, artists and curators. “It’s just a dream come true.”
Building Friendships at G44 Gallery
Stevens says establishing the gallery was all about building friendships and relationships with people. “You have to build these [over time]. As a curator, what I choose [to showcase] is what I like first of all, and what I want the audience to experience. I do lean toward the abstract, which can be challenging for some viewers. Some don’t quite understand it. But I think once you start building relationships, the [collectors] trust me and they understand what I’m trying to get at.”
Stevens has a degree in art history and had served as a curator at the Milwaukee Museum of Art but grew up in the Springs. “I have a lot of education. I can give you all the details about what I think this artist was looking at or who they have studied, but none of that really matters. What matters is when you look at the piece, how does it make you feel? That is the bottom line.”
Art, she says, should not be scary to people. Art, she says, should simply be about: Does it resonate with you? Does it speak to you?
Finding Voices to Champion
Two of the many artists that have resonated with Stevens over the years are Karen Khoury and Michael Dowling, both abstract artists based in the Springs but with vastly different voices.
Khoury, Stevens explains, is a very minimalist, redactive artist. “I just love her approach. It’s just very different from what’s going on out there. It’s the kind of artwork where you just really have to sit with it for a minute because you’ll walk up, and you’ll be like, ‘What is this? This is just black and white with this speck of color.’”
Khoury’s work is very sculptural as well. She pours acrylic paint on plastic, lets it dry, peels it off and then manipulates it. “It’s not on canvas, but on an actual board. She’s all about the shadows, the light. For a while, she didn’t do any color, and then she started doing color.”
Stevens also says Khoury’s artwork is generally small, “It’s very intimate, which is great because it’s approachable, even though it can be confusing for some viewers.” Stevens tries to show Khoury’s work every two to three years because her process is a little slower and takes a little bit of time
Michael Dowling, as a comparative artist, is more prolific. Stevens has been working with him since day one of her gallery. She says it has been great to watch his evolution as an artist because “his work can be a little dark, it’s not full of color, its charcoal drawings, and its animals and faces. But it has this very old school, Old Master, Renaissance feel. But then Michael throws these very contemporary twists in it, which I just love. [It adds] a kind of unexpectedness.”
She says he’ll black out faces, or he’ll put spray paint or a big X on something. She says he is exceptionally good and can draw expertly. “But then this crazy side comes out where you’re like: ‘What did he do?’ But you just love it.”
Stevens loves that Dowling is always pushing boundaries, trying to figure out where he can take himself next including working with other artists on occasion. “I appreciate that. That’s another thing with Colorado, and especially the Springs is that artists here – we’re all so supportive of one another, and they work together. There’s not this competitiveness, and it’s just nice to see that.”
Shepherding New Talent
Ashley Anderson is another artist Stevens is shepherding who will have her first show at G44 this year. “She came into my gallery three or four years ago, and I’ve been cultivating a friendship/relationship with her for years. Sometimes that’s what it takes.”
Stevens gets emails and phone calls and hates to give young artists a negative response when they ask: “When can I have a show next year?” “Well, I’m booked two years out and I don’t know who you are?” Steven says it is key to build these relationships with your artists to understand their path. “You’re in it for the long haul is my idea, that’s my desire.”
Anderson came in initially when she was still in college. Stevens knew she wasn’t quite ready for a show then but as her career and work moved forward and blossomed, she finally said, “It’s time. I’m excited to offer you a show in the main gallery.”
Anderson’s style, as Stevens describes it, works in a lot of gold, and plays on light. “It’s very minimalist, simplistic, but she’s such a cerebral artist.” As an art gallery, Stevens says there must be a balance because art needs to move. “And I’m here to sell and keep the doors open.”
Anderson’s work for a while was full of ideas but wasn’t necessarily for the masses at the time. “I feel like she’s finally getting there where her art’s more approachable for everybody. I cannot wait to have her show.” And that is what being a curator means in terms of knowing when to take those steps but also offering encouragement. It is also about looking forward.
Stevens says after the Downtown Colorado Springs Partnership started its First Friday Art Walk; it has become instrumental in getting people excited about art. Every first Friday of the month, new shows are unveiled where she can get sometimes 600 people coming through the doors on one night. Stevens laughs that they did not have that 10 years ago.
For her now, it is about continuing to cultivate an ongoing relationship with viewers and artists. “We’re all in it together and Colorado Springs very much has that feel. We are all so supportive of one another and we’re excited for one another. Artists buy from other artists, and the momentum is right here right now, and it’s very exciting to watch. There is a renaissance. There is an explosion of artists and galleries, and it’s a great time.”
