"People feel comfortable in my gallery. I believe it is the little things that we do that make a difference: incense, music, greeting people when they walk in. Everyone just feels welcome." Robin Rice began her career by studying commercial photography for fifteen years, but ultimately decided that it was not satisfying her real passion. In the 1990's she segued into an area of this medium where she was able to fine-tune her craft and figure out what kind of aesthetic she liked. "I guess you could say that I developed a brand." She continued on, telling me, "My work and the shows that I hang in the gallery all have different imagery, yet somehow everything seems to fit together - like a collage, a collection - but I mix it up a bit." Robin suggested that I go into the back room where I would begin to understand what her concept is. "It almost all tells a story," she said. There are over twenty years of photo collections in the back of the gallery - at all prices.
I must recommend that anyone visiting should steal a glimpse of this hidden space. There are stacks of both Robin's work and the work of other artists from previous exhibits. Robin told me that people contact her constantly, either by phone or via email to make specific requests for a certain genre or a category that they would like to have represented in a photograph. She says that this is her forte. "I will do research for hours, even days, trying to come up with a perfect selection to please the customer."
When I asked Robin why she chose this particular location on 11th Street, as it is not in an area known for galleries, she explained to me: "I was riding my bike through the neighborhood years ago and just stopped when I came upon this disheveled space - broken windows and all. It had been empty for about a year, but my heart began to pound and I knew it was the perfect space to rent for my gallery." She loved it so much that she also was able to find an apartment a few doors down for several years. Robin went on to explain that the gallery is surrounded by great bars and restaurants that help to keep the traffic flowing into her gallery. And when she isn't open late at night, she still receives phone calls from people who spotted something they saw in the window when strolling by. Yes, this is more a destination area, as it does not get a lot of street traffic, but she said that it is perfect for her this way. "If I am going to be there everyday, then I want to be in a neighborhood that I love. It feels like home when I walk into the gallery."
