A painting is worth a thousand confused art-gallery visitors

Ljupka Cvetanova

Finding a Gallery in Marquette, MI to Host My Art

This summer one of my goals for my art work was to find a gallery in my local area. Marquette, Michigan is a thriving artist community on the southern shore of Lake Superior. The downtown is in its renaissance, rarely a storefront empty and the charming brick-front buildings have almost all been restored.

Marquette is host to numerous boutique shops, artist-run shops/galleries and cooperative galleries. In addition there are many businesses that offer their walls as alternative venue locations to show and sell art. We have the dueling art fairs the last week of July: Art On the Rocks and Outback Art Fair. Every June the artists and community celebrate Artweek with live events. All summer artists and businesses organize first Thursday Art Walks.

I narrowed down my list to just two galleries in town. Both of these spaces appeared to have strong social media presence and a clean professional space. They both do a splendid job promoting artists. Graci Gallery & Wintergreen Hill Gallery and Gifts.

I ended up in neither.

Please add yourself to my emailing list.

Presque Isle Station Studio and Gallery was not on my original list, not even on my radar. We were driving by and my husband, Kurt, suggested I check it out. (I made him my unofficial manager).
Sometimes, the answer is yes. Sometimes you are the right person, on the right day, asking for the right thing, from the right person. You were prepared and they said yes. (More often as a creative, through no fault of your own, the answer is no).

Presque Isle Station, just before the Presque Isle Park entrance, is run by artists Mike Horton and Terry Gilfoy. Both are potters and have been in business together since the 1970’s. It is one part studio, one part retail gallery and one part Marquette history. Besides pottery; there’s jewelry, etchings, photography, paintings, historical prints…. and now my work. They are also next door to two other must visit galleries in Marquette. Risak Pottery and Niik Creative Co.

Why Presque Isle Station Studio and Gallery?

Location. While the diligent locals were puttering away, the sleeping town of Marquette crept into the territory of summer tourist destination. In Marquette, Presque Isle was becoming a destination. One by one all those diligent hard working locals started to notice their town wasn’t the same as it once was, it was being invaded every summer, more and more by people who wanted to enjoy our outdoors, hike our trails, swim our waters and shop. Because I’m from here those three little Presque Isle Galleries may have been all but invisible to me, they are not to our visitors.

Fit. Immediately upon walking in I sensed my work would be a good fit with the other artists. And the existing work would compliment mine. I didn’t plan it, but I had just completed the Albino Deer piece that was influenced by memories of the albino deer population on Presque Isle. It was kismet that set in the office space was a photograph of the original Presque Isle buck.

Mike Horton. As much as I try to make every first meeting with people awkward I got through it, Mike showed straight forward interest in seeing my work. And I returned 100% prepared to hand it off or go home.

Nostalgia. Part of me wondered what it took to be one of those artists in those buildings when I was a kid. They looked untouchable to me.

Get in and check out Presque Isle Station Studio and Gallery before their winter break.

They are located just before Presque Isle Park at:

2901 Lakeshore blvd

Marquette, MI 49855

12:00pm – 5:00pm

Closed Tuesdays◾️

Add yourself to my emailing list before you go….