Discover La Entradta De Tubac Discover La Entrada | Page 4

Meet folks who breathe
life and love into Tubac's
lively f ine arts scene
The
Gallery
Makers
Tubac is celebrated for its charming clus-
tering of premiere galleries in a rare village
setting. For a town known for its devotion
to the arts, the gallery owner plays a vital
role in divining, selecting and present-
ing a diverse and vibrant array of artistic
expressions to the public. They provide a
doorway for emerging artists, new art-
forms, and a place where seasoned artists
can be assured that collectors and visitors
alike return year after year. So what makes
gallery owners tick? A few of La Entrada’s
gallery owners are profiled here, offering a
glimpse into their dreams, motivations and
tenacity that brings the arts in Tubac to life.
4 = La Entrada de Tubac
Bob
& Nancy Brown
...........................................
Big Horn Gallery
No doubt creating a
successful art gallery
demands a lot of people
skills and business
acumen. And it helps if
owners are art collec-
tors themselves to keep
their passion alive. But
if running one gallery
isn’t enough, try two, 900
miles apart. Introducing
Bob and Nancy Brown of
Big Horn Galleries who
have worked out a win-
ning formula in their Tu-
bac and Cody, Wyoming
locations, representing
some of the finest names
in Western art today.
For the Browns their
deep dive into the gal-
lery business began in
Cody more than four
decades ago, eventually
founding the Big Horn
Gallery which quickly
gained a reputation
as one of the premiere
traditional Western art
galleries in the country.
Why a gallery in Tubac,
then? Wyoming winters
were slow season for
the art business, so it
seemed only natural to
consider warmer climes
and establish a gallery
that would keep art
sales going year-round.
Their search began just
after 2000. “We believed
that if you if you have
several galleries in one
location, then all the
galleries benefit,” recalls
Bob. So after passing on
Scottsdale and Tucson,
they decided to visit Tu-
bac. “We loved it! Tubac
was a very unique arts
community, and we felt
we could establish our
own identity there.” In
2001 they bought a build-
ing nestled in a semi-
residential part of town
and established the Big
Horn Gallery, Tubac.