Meet Elizabeth Kinahan of Studio & in Durango

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Kinahan.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Elizabeth. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Studio & started in 2010 as a shared studio space for five artists. It was pretty vague from the Main Avenue-fronted window what was going on in there. There would be pop-up art events, music gatherings, and a revolving door of locals and tourists who would wander in and see what we were up to. Sales were starting to happen and it was pretty clear that we needed to get official. We set ourselves up as an art gallery in 2012, and the business side of things unfolded and evolved. The artists involved have changed over the past ten years, except for Tim Kapustka, who is the only founding member still on board.

We are still a working studio, but much more of a gallery now. People love meeting the artists when they come in, and our floors are meant to get dirty which seems to set people at ease immediately. We are not your typical art gallery, there are oddball things tucked away in niches, sometimes there are people playing music in the back, our bathroom is like a scrapbook of the past decade, and occasionally people get lost in there. We sell awesome shirts we print ourselves, right next to stunning silver lost wax process jewelry, world-class porcelain vessels and delightful paintings and prints of all sizes and subjects. It’s a fun place to visit, and we throw a good party.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The path evolved as we went, our business plan didn’t even consider a profit until several years in. We were a bunch of artists who were just stoked to have a space to create, exhibit, and collaborate with other artists and makers. Occasionally one of our members wasn’t the greatest, there were interpersonal issues, of course, but they all worked themselves out. It’s a lot of work to put on an exhibit every month, which is more or less what we have done for ten years. We love artists, but they can be a little hard to herd. It has helped to have members with different strengths, such as building, marketing, finances, and someone who just always has great ideas.

We’d love to hear more about your art.
I am most proud of the fact that we have done all this without a paycheck. We are all essentially volunteers who spend our time and effort to promote all kinds of art, young and emerging artists, as well as pros, performers, musicians, etc. The only money we make is from the sale of our art, and with that, we are thrilled with the support we have found. We are known for being an art venue unlike the hoity-toity galleries that many people feel uncomfortable walking into.

The art is all from locals, so you can get a feel of the town by our space. And you’ll always be greeted by one of the artists themselves because that’s who mans our shop day in and day out. We’re proud of that. We’re dedicated to making art accessible to all members of the community, and that means welcoming everyone and being available to listen to their ideas because that’s how neat things happen.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We’re taking it online! We have so many people from across the globe who have signed up for our email list because they loved our shop. But if they don’t visit Durango again, it will be hard for them to continue to support us. So we’re changing that. Our first online exhibit will be launching mid-March, and after that, we’re planning to have work from all of our artists available online.

Pricing:

• We want to make art accessible to everyone. Fun postcards are $1.50, cool shirts are $25, and then it just goes up from there.

Contact Info:

• Address: 1027 Main Avenue
  Durango, CO 81301
• Website: anddurango.com
• Phone: (908) 403-9975
• Email: email: artideasprogress@gmail.com
• Instagram: @anddurango
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anddurango/

Image Credit:
Scott Griggs, Steve Eginoire, Carl Geers, Brett Masse

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