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Meet Josh Davy of NEXT Gallery in 40 West Arts District

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Davy.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I went to the Cleveland Institute of Art in the 1990s but I didn’t finish. I got married and bought a house and had a son and let art go for a long time. I gave up art for construction work, which if we can be honest was a more financially lucrative field for me. Something about the denial of self to feel responsible wore away at me, I struggled with depression and addiction. When the economy fell apart, I fell apart too, without that silly job I didn’t have anything to keep me moving forward. I left Cleveland for Boulder in the fall of 2010 with little left to lose to go back to college for engineering. A few months later, I joined a co-op gallery that saw something in me and I started to make again. I ended up leaving CU Boulder with a BFA in ceramics instead of an engineering degree, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like I was doing what I was meant to do with my life.

Has it been a smooth road?
On August 9th, I will present my 10th solo art show in the Denver area. On August 29th, I will celebrate my 10th year clean from heroin addiction. I can say honestly that the art scene in Denver, and NEXT Gallery, in particular, have saved my life. There’s a lot of back stories, years of my life that came before that could be talked about, but none of it seems as relevant. In January of this year, after a unanimous vote by its members, I took over as the director of NEXT Gallery with a clear vision of who we are and what we have to offer to the Denver art world. I’m only looking forward to endless possibilities.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the NEXT Gallery story. Tell us more about it.
Next Gallery is owned and operated by 28 working local artists. Our stated mission is to support and encourage each other, to promote art appreciation and education through community outreach, and to commit to artistic growth. Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen our role in the Denver art scene changing as we’ve gained notoriety, and we’ve discussed at length what parts of our image could be improved and what parts of our identity need to be protected at all costs. We’ve always been a gallery that has picked up young artists who had talent and ambition and gave them the direction needed to be successful. This year we are partnering with 40 West Arts to present the NEXT Gallery Scholarship. My goal is to find an artist with that same kind of talent and ambition but without the financial opportunity and give them an incredible head start at their career in art.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
There’s a lot of upheaval going on in the art world in Denver, artists are being pushed out of their galleries and creative spaces by developers. The wastefulness of redevelopment has been a central focus in my artwork for years, but I’m starting to explore wider problems inherent in human nature that need to be constructively addressed. I constantly hear people voicing their frustration over what is being lost, and while I do understand, there’s another side to this thing. When NEXT Gallery was forced out of the Navajo Street Arts District we came close to failing, but we pulled together and made a new place in 40W. We made new connections and new friends and we have never been more successful as a result. Change is going to happen whether we like it or not, and I intend to spend my time and energy looking for the opportunities inherent in that change rather than wasting time and energy in a futile fight against it. I hope NEXT Gallery can help people find their place in what is still a vibrant and amazing art community.

Pricing:

  • Prices for my artwork range from $125-$1200
  • The average price of my artwork is $250-$450
  • The prices for artwork in NEXT Gallery range from $35-$4,000

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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