MINNESOTA WOMEN'S PRESS: September 2005

by Jenn Day

Rosalux: members-owners-artists

Rosalux Gallery (www.rosaluxgallery.com) may seem just like any other fine art gallery. But every time you walk in, you’re going to meet an artist, a dues-paying member of the group. Housed in Open Book in Minneapolis, the 24 members of the Rosalux collective have created their own self-sustaining gallery and support network; decisions are made jointly, and each artist is guaranteed a two-person show every year and a place on the collective’s web site.

Jennifer Davis, a member artist since 2002, said before she joined she was working as a painter and doing all right, but something was missing.

“I just started to miss being part of a community, like when I was in school,” she recalled. One way or another, the group found her and asked her to join. “And now some of my best friends are in the group. I just love it.”

Artists Jennifer Davis and Amy Rice share techniques and work collaboratively. This piece by Rice became the basis for a collaborative work.

One of the benefits of being involved is that you get a say, Davis explained.

Something that sounds so simple can trigger an incalculable amount of creative growth.

Amy Rice, who also paints and does collage, had long admired Davis’ work from afar. She went to the openings of her shows for a while, and thought Rosalux seemed full of amazing artists with impressive resumes, but never thought she had anything to contribute to the group. Then she had a change of heart. Rice was proud when she was accepted at Rosalux.

“I feel like belonging there my work has really improved, that I’ve gotten a lot of really positive feedback and good, constructive criticism and that I’ve been inspired by a lot of the techniques and methods of other artists,” Rice said.

Now, Rice and Davis are collaborating, with Rice making hand-cut stencils from Davis’ paintings and Davis using collaged elements from Rice’s pieces. Rice recently started showing Davis her spray painting technique.

Swapping knowledge, experience and technique seems to happen naturally at Rosalux. It begins at the regular meetings, and when all the member artists try to attend everyone else’s openings. It might happen afterwards in the bar.

Although the artists aren’t engaging in formalized critiques as in art school, they’re gaining much more from their built-in network of peers. They’re picking up informal conversation, whimsical collaboration and constructive criticism from other serious artists with a wide range of experiences.

Collectives have always been important to Rice. As a sociology major at Augsburg in the early ’90s, she worked at the cooperatively run Seward Café in Minneapolis. She isn’t drawn to that kind of organization because it’s not the easiest way to do business.

“It’s hard, and sometimes it’s painful and it takes longer and sometimes it really sucks, but I think that overall what ends up is of better quality, whatever you’re trying to accomplish,” Rice said.

Rosalux member Camille Gage said that, for her, working collectively is less of a political statement than a state of mind. “I think it’s that self-selected group of people willing to make a greater commitment, and then hopefully, just being a part of a group like that keeps you engaged. I have found that to be very true. I’m producing more work and selling more work by far than I did before I joined Rosalux.”