Park City Gallery Spotlight // J GO Gallery
We are pleased to introduce J GO Gallery as our March gallery feature! Our monthly blog series showcases all of our wonderful Park City galleries on a rotating basis.
Every month we tell the story of a local gallery and the gallerists and artists behind them. For this month’s spotlight we spoke with Jude Grenney of J GO Gallery at 268 Main Street in Park City, UT. J GO Gallery, located in the heart of historic Park City, UT is a carefully curated collection of contemporary artwork by renowned artists who have technical expertise, aesthetic excellence and remarkable creativity.
Arts Council: Tell me a bit about J GO Gallery and how you got it started.
Jude Grenney: I moved to Park City in 1991 and started working for Coda Gallery. I worked for them for a few years and then a couple of other galleries before I opened my own gallery, Phoenix Gallery, in 2002. It was located on mid Main Street. In 2010, I changed the name to J GO Gallery and moved to the basement where OTC Wines is now. Then, in 2018, I moved to the Rock, where I am now. In this space, I’ve started to focus more exclusively on larger pieces of art, and am not selling the art jewelry and curiosities of the previous incarnation of J GO Gallery. It’s been really fun to be at the Rock because it is a space not only for the gallery, but for coffee, music, wine-tasting and other events; it brings in an audience that wouldn’t normally be inclined to come into an art gallery.
I feature artists both from Utah and artists that are nationally recognized. I have a core group of about 15 artists and every so often I rotate them out and find new artists to represent. Rather than a specific theme, my gallery is an eclectic representation of my taste. I’m interested in supporting artists that have technical expertise, aesthetic excellence and something unique to say.
AC: What do you usually do for the Park City Gallery Stroll?
JG: We usually feature an exhibit from one of our artists. Recently we have been introducing our audience to our exhibit on Instagram Live during Gallery Stroll. Kristen Fox, of Fox School of Wines. is usually in here doing a wine tasting lesson, so we will feature some aspects of her wine tasting event and then I’ll give a quick tour of some of our new art! We always invite people in on to the gallery during Gallery Stroll nights to see the art in person, and if people want to participate in the wine tasting that happens here, they can buy tickets through OPRokwell.com and enjoy the art while they learn and taste test.
AC: Do you have a favorite piece in the space right now?
JG: It changes regularly, but most recently it is a new piece from Will Armstrong that is my favorite. It’s a large piece featuring a bunch of cars at a drive-in movie theater, All of l the cars are famous movie cars from memorable films. They are watching Thelma and Lousie on the big screen, and the background collage is made of movie posters. It’s such an interesting piece! When something new comes in I often have a new favorite.
AC: Will you be doing something for this upcoming Gallery Stroll on January 26th?
JG: Yes, we just received a new body of artwork from Ezra Siegel. He sent us 5 bold new abstract pieces that will be featured during this month’s Gallery Stroll. From a distance, his compositions draw you in, and when you get closer, there is a lot of subtle detail: multiple translucent layers of paint with sophisticated marks which makes them more interesting, and quite sophisticated without being too busy. We will be featuring this new exhibit on our Instagram Live on the evening of March 26th as well, and will incorporate some of the Fox School of Wine’s wine tasting event into the virtual tour too! Learn more on our Instagram page @jgogallery.
AC: What inspires you?
Jade: The creativity coming from the artists whose artwork represent. I want to support creative people. I am inspired by artists, not just visual artists, but musicians and performers of all kinds. I am a very amatuer artist myself, so I understand how difficult it is to find your voice and display it in a professional way. I want to help support people that have chosen art as their profession.
AC: Has the way you run and curate the gallery changed over the past few years?
JG: I used to feature jewelry and curiosities as well as art, but when I moved into the space at the Rock I dropped the jewelry and curiosities to focus on larger art pieces. This gallery model, with an open space gallery that is also the home of different cultural events and a coffee/desert shop has kept the art industry fresh for me. I enjoy interacting with a new, diverse crowd that might not usually come into a gallery, it’s a perk of this space which keeps things fresh and exciting.
AC: Why do you think art is important?
JG: Art is a catalyst for your imagination, when you see beautiful things it can inspire you to think differently about everything in your life. Even If you’re a chemist, art might inspire you to think differently about a chemistry problem you’ve been working on. Art has the ability to open your mind and help you see things from a new perspective.
“Art is a catalyst for your imagination, when you see beautiful things it can inspire you to think differently about everything in your life. ”
Learn more about J GO Gallery and their current and upcoming events on their website https://jgogallery.com/, follow them on Facebook and Instagram at @jgogallery where they post new artwork, artist updates and event information, or stop by J GO Gallery at 268 Main Street in Park City, UT. They are open daily from 10am-5pm. They are following safe social distancing guidelines.
J GO Gallery is a member of the Park City Gallery Association, which supports and promotes Park City galleries in a number of ways, one of which is hosting a Last Friday Gallery Stroll, a fun (and free) monthly community event that runs from 6:00-9:00 PM on the last Friday of each month, dedicated to highlighting artists and special exhibits at art galleries throughout town.