by Monica Chamness
Staff Writer
Springfield is popping with art galleries. Eight months ago, yet another exhibition house popped up. Once known as Pickett & Watts Gallery, the establishment is now simply called Suzanne Pickett Gallery. And it’s the ninth within a three-block radius.
There are three other galleries on this street [Main], three on Pearl Street and two on Eighth Street,” said Pickett.
Contemporary African-American art is the central theme dotting the walls at Pickett’s place, but distinguishing her establishment from other within walking distance has not been a fence Pickett could jump. Only one other gallery, Diallo gallery/studio, is close by and features ethnic art work as well.
“I think there’s room for every type of art,” said Pickett. “My work is so different that even though we both retail African-American pieces, I still don’t think there’s competition.”
Pickett, an artist herself, prefers hammering out oil paintings and relief sculptures as opposed to other mediums. In business in Springfield for less than a year, only time will tell if the artistic community can support yet another venue or if her enterprise will fail just as many small businesses in their first year. Like any small venture, the gallery has a limited advertising budget. Direct mailings and word-of-mouth testimonials through contacts at the Chamber of Commerce have been Pickett’s main methods of promoting her business.
“I started the gallery because I needed a place to paint and I needed a place to show my work,” recalls Pickett. “It’s difficult to get art in galleries here.”
Practically in turnkey condition, little was needed in terms of work on the building except for some minor plumbing and electrical repairs. Not bad for $950 a month.
“In the beginning, I kept the door locked,” said Pickett. “We still have a few panhandlers but we don’t have any problems with that now.”
Balancing her own career as an artist and the obligations of a gallery owner have proven challenging for Pickett. The 2,000-square foot space is not her first endeavor. After earning her bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the University of North Florida, she moved her supplies into a studio in what is now the Brooklyn Arts & Design Center. She later relocated to an independent site on Beach Boulevard where she struggled for two years until moving to her current location.
“Trying to run the gallery and being an artist is difficult,” she said. “You have to let people know what you do and get them to like what you do. Conforming is not being true to yourself. That’s the biggest challenge. When funds are low, you’d do just about anything to earn income.”
Some of her peripheral sources of revenue include framing selections, commissions, murals and portraits but she insists on having artistic liberty with any piece she may create.
“It has to be my style,” insisted Pickett. “I have to have the freedom to create.”
What kind of art gallery would it be without the works of other artists hanging on the walls? Of course, other emerging artists are spotlighted on the walls of the gallery as well. Shows numbering six to seven artists at a time rotate out every six weeks or so. Ongoing events at the gallery include spoken word poetry/music nights every first and third Saturday.
Her reason to set up shop off Main Street was two-fold: to be well-positioned logistically when the Super Bowl comes to town and to take advantage of the low rent district.
“Springfield is an up-and-coming area,” she said. “Residences and shops are moving in daily. There is an artist that lives upstairs. I believe new artists are drawn to areas that are being revived. It’s exciting to be part of that.”
In conjunction with the Wynn Design Group, Pickett is currently teaching art at the Sentinel Towers. She also teaches at City Kids’ Art Factory and the Sanctuary on 8th Street. Pickett is no stranger to children. Between her and her husband, they have four teenagers themselves.