Ruth Prager loves her new home. When she moved Gallery St. Thomas to Palm Passage last December, it was a business decision, a wise one as it turns out, and it provided another bonus.
"This is my family now," she says of her Palm Passage neighbors. The gallery, which she bought from Claire Ochoa in 2008, was originally located above the Crystal Shop on Main Street.
"It was not a good location. People didn’t want to climb the stairs," Prager says, "and it was so lonely up there."
Palm Passage, the historic downtown Charlotte Amalie landmark, exudes life with its welcoming Royal Palms, cobbled walkway, center bar, restaurant, and the many shops offering everything from fancy cosmetics and jewelry to designer wear, crafts and leather.
The gallery fits right in, as does Prager herself. In slightly more than half a year, she knows everyone.
She thrives on the camaraderie. "We have board meetings by the bar," she laughs, "to get together for the important stuff."
She thanks Steve Morton from Topa Properties for saving her livelihood. "I was going broke at the other location," she says, "really suffering. I went to Steve, and he said he had the answer for me. I’m so grateful."
The gallery breathes creativity, color and light. The ceilings and archways form the perfect setting for the art.
And it was done mainly with imagination and elbow grease.
Prager says converting the former Cache sportswear shop to the gallery was a matter of "paint and putty, and a few lights." She says the renovation wasn’t a big investment. Her boyfriend, Mark Thompson, and she went to work, changing one wall only.
"Mark is handy with a putty knife," she says.
Before moving to the island about eight years ago to join Thompson, Prager, though an artist at heart, had made her living in the corporate world.
"I moved here because of love," she says with the candor of a teenager, her brown eyes twinkling. "To be with Mark, and to fulfill my lifelong dream of becoming a professional potter."
Prager is a very youthful 40-something. She has short reddish-brown hair, a cheerful and outgoing manner, and a readily apparent love for what she is doing. She smiles a lot.
She opened Kazooti Clay Studio at Tillett Gardens shortly after moving to the island. The studio still exists, but "it’s underneath my house, where I work now," she says.
So, happily potting away at Tillett Gardens, what inspired her to buy the gallery?
"Insanity, I think," she laughs. "Seriously, Claire couldn’t find a buyer. I love art, and I have so many artist friends. With the thought of the gallery dying, I felt compelled to do it. St. Thomas doesn’t have that many galleries."
Prager delights in showing the art, talking about her artists. Young painter David Hill’s work is prominently displayed, featuring his latest technique, combining etching and oil.
She gives a tour. Picking up a card, a collage of local women in headdresses by Tortola artist Trenita Hodge, Prager points out their meaning.
"The way in which they are tied indicates the disposition of the women," she says. "The way this is tied indicates, divorced, not looking, or this one," she says, "single with children, looking."
The cards make a reasonably priced local gift at $16.
Hanging from the ceiling are imaginative bold-colored sculptures by Larry Lipsky. "These are geo-kinetic sculptures," Prager says. "Larry makes clear to never, never call them mobiles."
A St. John artist who began painting a little more than two years ago after a long career as president of National Geographic’s map operations, William Stoehr turned to mapping nudes using slabs of vibrant color.
"They are alive — they almost jump off the wall," Prager says.
The artists cut a broad swath of local talent, from the wood work of St. John artist Avelino Samuel and Gregory Samuel’s Caribbean oils, to Gary Felton’s photography, Lynn Paccassi-Berry’s ceramics, and a few pieces by Prager, herself, namely her moisture-resistant salt vault.
Soon, she says the gallery is "going green."
"We are going to put in glass front doors in mahogany frames," she says. "I figure what with I save on air-conditioning in five months, the doors will pay for themselves."
Right now, Prager is gearing up for the coming season, with shows starting in December. "They run from 5 p.m. until about 8 p.m.," she says, "and Maynard at Amalia Café will always have great food. We’re hoping to get some music in, too."
The upcoming schedule includes the following openings:
Dec. 17 – Ellen Swane and Vincent Bambini, painters;
Jan 14, 2011 – Avelino Samuel, David Hill, and metal sculpture by Trudi Gilliam;
Feb. 11 – Kimberly Boulon and the late David Millard, painters; and Gerilee Roberts, potter;
March 18 – Ronni Harris, quilted painting; and Teri Jones, water colors; and Ahmed Alarefi, pastels; and
April 15 – Aphrodite Backhaus, oil painter.
