Standing in awe and surrounded by beauty is the general feeling for those who wander into the Village Gallery of Local Artists.  This gallery is a “treasure find” for those who are looking for something unique.  Celebrating a 10-year anniversary this October, the gallery has over 40 local artists in residence.  The 10-year anniversary will be observed during the October 4^th First Friday event by offering 10% off everything in the gallery between 5 and 8pm.

Currently the gallery features local artists who create in over 15 different mediums including mosaics, designer fashions, wood, jewelry, Native American art, batik, photography, glass/kaleidoscopes, gourds, felt, pottery/ceramics, metal bronze art and paintings in acrylics, watercolor and oils.  Each of the artists was juried in by a group of their peers to ensure a rich mixture of art is offered in the gallery.  Each month on the First Friday a different artist is featured and has the opportunity to be showcased and perform a demonstration of their art, if desired.  Art from the gallery is collected in homes and businesses all over the world.  Each year, customers return just to purchase a specific artists’ works.

After being home to a wonderful true cooperative art gallery for almost 7 years, the Village Gallery of Local Artists changed ownership in January 2016. Two of the artists now own the gallery. Although the Gallery changed from a member-owned to an owner-managed gallery, the overall cooperative style operation of the gallery did not change and continues to be invisible to customers. This change enabled the gallery to streamline administrations of the business behind the scenes, creating a smoother running operation.

The vision for the gallery has always been to maintain the boutique style artist gallery in the current location, and to continue serving the community by offering an advantageous venue for both new and seasoned artists to display their work.  Gallery members continue to enjoy associating with fellow artists where they can find inspiration, learn from each other, network and grow.

With just a few local artist members, the Gallery opened for business in October 2009.  The Village Gallery of Local Artists has come a long way from humble beginnings as an adjunct of a timeshare sales office, to becoming a thriving, vibrant art centered business. The variety and mix of art and artists works well here.  The gallery is basically a family and each artist contributes to the overall health and longevity of the whole.  A number of the artists participate in community fundraising events by donating art and assisting with making art to raise monies for charity organizations throughout the Verde Valley.

During the past 10 years this gallery has been a mainstay in the Village of Oak Creek.  It is the only 100% local artist cooperative style gallery in Sedona.  It is a place where you can purchase one-of-a-kind art, a card and that special gift all in one location. One of your neighbors might be one of our artists.

Information about the gallery and each of the artists is available on the website sedonalocalartists.com. Although the gallery is completely full, applicants may still apply and if juried in, will be placed on a waiting list.

Because the gallery operates as a cooperative style gallery, the public has the opportunity to meet an artist every day.  The gallery is open daily from 10-6.  The gallery artists invite you to join in the fun every First Friday from 5-8pm to meet them for lively conversation and a tasty treat each month.  The Village Gallery of Local Artists is located at 6512 State Route 179, at the Cortez roundabout. For more information call (928) 284-1416 or email at villagegalleryoflocalartists@gmail.com.