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Shop Talk
Things Ton
Can Touch
Duane Reed Gallery
4729 McPherson Avenue
St. Louis, Missouri 63108
314-361-4100
duanereedgallery.com
After years working as a ball-
room dance instructor, Duane
Reed© put away his dancing
shoes and focused on a different
kind of creative outlet. Having
taken time away from the art
world he fell in love with as a
student, Reed “could think of
nothing except working with
fine art.” In 1994 he opened the
Duane Reed Gallery and since
then has been presenting “ob-
jects that have craft roots,” such
as Margaret Keelan's
Journey
(detail)© and Bonnie Seeman's
Untitled Gravy Boat and Tray®,
along with paintings, drawings
and photography. He never
looked back.
What inspired you to open
an art gallery?
I was fortunate to have gone
to William Jewell College just
outside of Kansas City. The
school's fine arts program rivals
014 ainerican craft oct/novo9
that of many larger universities.
For a Midwestern boy from a
small town, that was eye-open-
ing. I was determined to work
for a gallery and learn the busi-
ness, which I did. In 1994
1
was
able to open my own gallery in
St. Louis. It was located on the
upper two floors of an old apart-
ment building. Amazingly, we
were able to mount some incred-
ible shows, including exhibi-
tions of the works of Dale Chi-
huly, Albert Paley, Wendell
Castle and William Morris.
I still can’t believe I did it.
Your gallery has a special focus
on fiber, glass and ceramics.
What first attracted you to
these mediums?
I am absolutely taken by them.
I see a magic in these mediums
that comes out of the gentle
touch of the hand or even out
of what seems to be a technical
impossibility. How can some-
one not be attracted to these
things? I have gravitated in
a nearly obsessive way toward
things you can touch. Perhaps
it’s the child in me.
Congratulations on celebrating
your 15th anniversary. How
do you think the art world has
changed in the past decade
and a half?
Fifteen years ago, you could
never have convinced me that
someone might make an art
purchase over the Internet sim-
ply by viewing an image. I re-
sisted in the beginning, only to
later become dependent on the
“computer technicians” that
seem to overpopulate our high
schools today. Technology has
been knocking on the door, forc-
ing us to adjust to it. I suppose
that it makes artwork more
accessible to a wider public,
though I can’t help thinking it
takes away some of the magic
of the experience. To do busi-
ness in these times, it’s impor-
tant that we somehow address
the power of this means of com-
munication but also create a
personal experience.
You’ve recently moved to
the Central West End neigh-
borhood. How is that going?
The gallery started in the West
End and now it’s back home.
The area is teeming with won-
derful restaurants, shops, galler-
ies and magnificent historical
homes. W e are now located in
a much larger space with very
high ceilings, concrete floors
and the capacity to show large-
scale paintings and sculpture.
It opens us to new ideas and
energy. St. Louis seems excit-
ed, our artists are excited and
we are thrilled.—
s . m .
t o m a t o
HI/Honolulu
The Contemporary Museum
Tishihirn Suda
to Oct. 18
tcmhi.org
With surprising realism in true-
to-life scale, Suda has carved,
then hand-painted, fragile wood
sculptures based on tropical
flowers in Hawaii.
ID /Boise
Boise Art Museum
Ann Weber: Corrugated
to Nov. 8
boiseartmuseum.org
Weber’s towering fibrous
sculptures made of cardboard
resemble baskets, pods, gourds
and organic spires, elevating
the material from its common
associations.
K Y / Louisville
Vonfire Gallery at Glassworks
Mark Payton
Oct. 2-N ov. 28
louisvilleglassworks.com/
vonfire
Using strong, heat-resistant
borosilicate glass, Payton cre-
ates the ornate details of his
large flame-worked sculpture.
MA / Boston
© Society of Arts and Crafts
POP Craft
to Oct. 22
societvofcrafts.org
Works in various media,
including Karen Shapiro’s
ceramic
Campbell's Soup Can,
reveal ways in which contem-
porary artists have absorbed
elements of the Pop Art move-
ment, typically bold, sometimes
political, always interesting.
www.freedowns.net & www.journal-plaiza.net
Duane Reed photos/Glenn Scrivner.
