We recently connected with Amy Grant and have shared our conversation below.
Amy, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
Fortunately, I grew up in a household of creatives. My mother was an artist and had her three children creating art before we could talk. I opened an art gallery in 2015 after a 30-year career in science. I always knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally. Art in Bloom Gallery continues to thrive. Established in 2015, the gallery grew from 850 square feet in downtown Wilmington to our current space of 2700 square feet in Mayfaire Town Center in Wilmington near Wrightsville Beach. Visitors to the gallery at 970 Inspiration Drive will find a mixture of traditional and contemporary paintings, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, mixed media, photography, fabric art, film, and more. The gallery is open every day of the week and represents over 30 artists creating original art. https://aibgallery.com/
Amy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Amy N. Grant is a classically trained visual artist with a studio at Acme Art Studios. She is the owner of Art in Bloom Gallery at 970 Inspiration Drive., Mayfaire Town Center, Wilmington, NC (https://aibgallery.com/). Art in Bloom Gallery represents over thirty artists and presents an eclectic mix of original art.
She grew up in Fayetteville, NC and is an art activist and member of the Arts Council of Wilmington and New Hanover County, the Cameron Art Museum, and the Board of DREAMS Center for Arts Education. Art in Bloom Gallery has worked with outstanding student interns from Cape Fear Community College, UNC-Wilmington, and UNC-Chapel Hill since 2015 and values the educational, cultural, and historical aspects of art.
Amy supports the convergence of the arts: visual, film, theatre, literary, music, dance, culinary, and more. Art in Bloom Gallery produced a series of short documentaries about Karen Paden Crouch (sculpture), Elizabeth Darrow (painting, collage, and mixed media), Gayle Tustin (ceramic vessels and mixed media), Virginia Wright-Frierson (painting), and Rebecca Yeomans (eco-botanical, fiber, and mixed media). Art in Bloom Gallery was the producer of the World Premiere of “Dorothy Gillespie: Courage, Independence, and Color,” a 90-minute documentary, April 19, 2024, on the Tony Rivenbark Main Stage at Historic Thalian Hall. The staff at Art in Bloom Gallery enjoys renting and selling art to the various film production companies working on movies, television, and streaming series in Wilmington.
Amy appreciates the originality of the art and artists in Wilmington, NC and enjoys visiting museums, artists’ studios, and galleries wherever she travels. Amy believes that art has the power to change lives and to create a more inclusive community. In addition, she collaborates extensively with various individuals and groups to make Wilmington, NC more visible as an arts destination and believes art is a powerful economic driver.
Prior to moving to Wilmington, NC, Amy worked as a scientist in the Philadelphia area.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
CanvasRebel already interviewed me in 2022. https://canvasrebel.com/meet-amy-grant/. Examples of the resilience of Art in Bloom Gallery include: Surviving and recovering from Hurricane Florence in 2018/2019 and the Covid-19 epidemic starting in 2020. We pivoted and enhanced our website and e-commerce to increase sales over the web. We offer free local delivery. Also, as a small business, the gallery continues to change as we grow.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
As a scientist, my view of the world was different and based upon the scientific method, documentation, and quality control and quality assurance. As a gallery owner, I have learned to embrace change and to understand that change is constant. My main lesson is to listen more and to adapt.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://aibgallery.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artinbloomgallery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtinBloomGallery
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-grant-33965b22/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW8LiYMHCCzbVb5LoNki-pw
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/art-in-bloom-gallery-wilmington
Image Credits
Melva Calder, Dave Klinger, Daria Amato