Park City Gallery Spotlight // Park City Meyer Gallery

This month for our Park City Gallery Spotlight feature we spoke with Susan Meyer of Meyer Gallery, located at 305 Main St. in Park City. Susan sat down with us in her gallery to talk about some of her favorite pieces and what inspires her. 

Check out the Park City Meyer Gallery website for more info and stop by the gallery this Friday during Last Friday Gallery Stroll when Meyer Gallery opens one of the most popular shows of the year, “Small Art Treasures.” This exhibit features over 80 pieces by 30 artists. Each piece must measure no more than 12” by 12”. Come find a small treasure for yourself or do some early holiday shopping! 

Arts Council: Tell me a bit about the Meyer Gallery. 

Susan Meyer:  The gallery was founded in 1965 and was opened by my parents. It is the oldest gallery in Park City. I bought it from them in 1997 and since that time it’s been through a lot of transformations in terms of what my parents interests were vs. what my interests are. 

AC: Did it change a lot when you took over? 

SM: Yes. They were selling a lot of jewelry and pottery which I love but I really wanted to free up the space for more art. 

AC: Did you have a background in art and did you always want to take over the space? 

SM: I did. I was four years old when they opened the gallery and I always loved art and been around art, but I’ve had other chapters in my life. I was a caterer in New York for eleven years and have done several other things but the temptation of moving back to Park City was always there. 

AC: How do you curate the space? 

SM: The goal is to have the majority of the gallery, approximately 80% to be Utah artists who are full-time professional artists who are working in Utah today. The other artists are just those who attract me.

AC: Tell me about your most recent exhibit? 

SM: The exhibit was called “Making Her Mark,” The purpose of the show was to represent accomplished female artists that are lesser known. For instance one of the artists in this exhibit was Kamille Corry and she lives in Salt Lake City but has won some of the most prestigious awards in the world and teaches in Florence for a good portion of the year. She’s amazing and I think more people should know her work. So that’s the goal of the show, to raise awareness of highly accomplished female artists. 

AC: What inspires you? 

SM: The relationship with the artist is what inspires me to work every day. It’s so satisfying to see these artists graduate from art school and to then help foster their career by helping them facilitate a livelihood as an artist.

AC: Has the gallery changed a lot over the years? 

SM: It’s certainly gotten more modern. 

AC: Why do you think art is important? 

SM: Well you mentioned the word inspiration and when there is original quality art in a home or in an office space it elevates the environment in such a way that provides a lift not only for the individuals that live there but also for visitors. When art is in a public space it often represents some of the best parts of our culture. It saddens me when I go to a place where there is no art, it feels like there is something missing.  

AC: What exhibits do you have coming up in the gallery? 

SM: One of our most popular shows of the year is coming up September 27th, which is great for a quieter time in Park City. It’s our small works show. This year, we’re having some of the spouses of some of our usual artists display their artwork and many of them actually have art degrees as well. And we’ll have other friends and patrons of the gallery submitting art as well. It’s just a fun party. 

AC: What dates does that show run? 

SM: That show runs September 27th for approximately a month. The opening reception will be held September 27th from 6-9 p.m. during the Park City Gallery Stroll.

Read more about the Park City Meyer Gallery and their rotating exhibits on their website, or stop by Meyer Gallery located at 305 MAIN STREET in Park City. 

Meyer 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! Don’t miss Last Friday Gallery Stroll and the opening reception of the “Small Art Treasures” exhibit at Meyer Gallery this Friday!!