06/22/2007

Record-Eagle/Douglas Tesner
Dan Reszka is co-owner of the Blue Heron Gallery in Elk Rapids. His gallery and three others in Elk Rapids are advertising together to try and bring visitors to the area.

'The more the merrier' for galleries

Galleries hang together in marketing efforts

By Tom Carr

tcarr@record-eagle.com

ELK RAPIDS — Four galleries, each boasting different artists and art forms, have framed themselves together to help bring visitors into town.

"We want to make people understand there are some really good art galleries with good artwork here in Elk Rapids,” said Dan Reszka, co-owner of Blue Heron Gallery with his wife Pat Curran.

Reszka and owners of the other three galleries have started Art Beat of Elk Rapids. Running twice yearly, in June and October, it includes artist demonstrations, refreshments, silent auctions, prizes and other attractions. They pool their resources to buy advertising and created a post card that promotes all four businesses.

Each of the proprietors tells customers of the merchandise, classes and demonstrations available at the other shops.

"We also agree not to accept each other's artists, so we don't compete with each other and so people aren't seeing all the same art at the different galleries,” Reszka said.

Two of the shops — Mullaly's 128 Studio and Gallery and Viola Gallery — are in the center of downtown, while Heron is at the north end of town and Twisted Fish Gallery is at the south.

They view cooperation as key to helping them all.

"Four galleries in one small town can easily provide enough different artistic impressions for someone to see something different in each and every place,” said Barbara Mullaly, owner of Mullaly's. "Our feeling is the more, the merrier.

"It's a great outlet, because when you have more than one gallery it becomes a destination. Same thing with antique places.”

In fact, they're working on getting the five antique shops in town involved, as well, said Charlotte "Charlie” Streit, co-owner of Twisted Fish with her husband Bob Streit.

Mullaly's was the only gallery in town when Blue Heron began operations about five years ago.

"We opened and they started helping us,” Reszka said.

After the other two opened, they all got together and decided to start Art Beat.

It's a loosely formed group, though they take their mission seriously.

"We get together over wine and cheese and goodies every once in a while,” Reszka said.