Written by: Sabina Dana Plasse
When you walk through the large glass doors of the Gail Severn Gallery, you are immediately immersed in art. As you move through each exhibition space, you begin to connect with the ways in which artists interpret the world and evoke a sense of wonder and interest. The experience can feel like a mindful meditation.
Reflections on art and community
For 50 years, Gail Severn, an Idahoan, has championed artists and the arts in the Sun Valley community. She has showcased some of the world’s most recognizable emerging and established artists, many of whom have come to Sun Valley for exhibition openings and free public talks about their process and work.
A longtime patron of the arts, Severn has also been a leader in advancing the arts across education, culture, and business. After many years of collaboration with the global Arts in Embassies program, she was invited to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo to present a talk about artwork by her gallery artists loaned to the Embassy. She and a group of art advocates co-hosted Americans for the Arts in Sun Valley as part of the group’s mission to demonstrate the significant financial impact the arts can have on rural communities in states like Idaho. Revenue from the arts filters into the community through lodging and dining, providing economic stability and furthering education.
“WE INVITE NONPROFITS TO USE OUR SPACE TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER AND SHINE A BRIGHTER LIGHT ON IMPORTANT COMMUNITY, IDAHO, AND NATIONAL ISSUES.”
-Falconer IV | Mixed media/resin on wood panel with gold leaf and paint | 60” x 41″ | Hung Liu
“The arts offer students and others the opportunity to broaden their minds and provide opportunities for creative thinking,” says Severn. “The arts are not just a luxury. They make a significant contribution to education and broader thinking.”
Severn’s attention to the arts and to art conversations worldwide is notable, especially given her long experience in a rural community and her perspective on Idaho’s changing landscape. She has always been mindful of Idaho’s connection to the natural world and artists’ interpretations of it.
-Snowsquall and the Sleeping Indian, (5/20) | Reduction woodcut | 33.5” x 47.75” | Tom Hammick
One example is Joseph Rossano’s Of Water, a beautiful and powerful installation with an environmental message. The exhibition featured more than 200 mirrored, salmon-like forms, hand-blown from molten glass, along with graphite-on-panel paintings of salmon, trout, otters, ducks, and other riparian wildlife. The glass salmon were part of global exhibitions that traveled around the world, educating people about the plight of water and of Pacific and Atlantic salmon.
“We invite nonprofits to use our space to bring people together and shine a brighter light on important community, Idaho, and national issues,” says Severn. “Oftentimes, we will coordinate shows around the topics to showcase and connect people to the issues and the art.”
“THE ARTS ARE NOT JUST A LUXURY. THEY MAKE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO EDUCATION AND BROADER THINKING.”
–Aspens, Late Summer, (Blue Sky) | Watercolor on paper 60” x 20″ | Divit Cardoza
Over the decades, Gail Severn Gallery has earned a national reputation for creative and meaningful exhibitions, including those featuring Hung Liu, Kiki Smith, Tony Foster, and more. The gallery has participated in many of the world’s most prestigious art fairs in the U.S. and abroad. Severn and her staff have facilitated many important and groundbreaking museum exhibitions and have published countless books and catalogs for its artists, including Jun Kaneko, Jane Rosen, Julie Spiedel, Laura McPhee, Theodore Wadell, and other notable names.
Severn has supported the Sun Valley Gallery Association and its impact on Ketchum businesses and culture by hosting Gallery Walks, which are open to the public and often feature new work and visiting artists. In addition, she works to preserve artists’ legacies after their passing, including those of Marcia Meyers, Rod Kagan, and Morris Graves, among others.
-Walther in the Forest, (17/25) | Etching | 19.5” x 15.75” | Tom Hammick
-Pasa Double | Found and fabricated printed tin on panel with steel brads | 12” x 8″ | Tony Berlant
“I think it’s important for people to understand that their art is still here, even after an artist has passed away,” says Severn. “It’s a major accomplishment in their life. It’s their life’s work and their legacy.”
In choosing artists to represent, Severn discloses the many ways in which it happens, but throughout the gallery’s 50 years, she has always maintained that part of the job is to take care of the artists already represented.
“WHILE THIS YEAR IS PRIMARILY ABOUT THE LAST 50—WHICH HAVE BEEN SO RICH AND REWARDING— THERE ARE SO NEW AND FASCINATING PARTS TO THE WORLD OF ART TO EXPLORE.”
-Salt Point | Oil on canvas on panel | 36” x 30” | Michael Gregory
“If there is a phenomenal artist who should be in our community, we will consider it, but if I think they would take sales away from an artist I already represent, I need to respect the artists who are part of the gallery first.” She adds, “We make commitments, and although we are always looking for new artists, there is a very careful process.”
Severn’s relationships with collectors such as Bill and Glenn Janss, who introduced her to major artists, have been vital to her gallery’s longevity and success. While major artists’ works are important, discovering emerging artists has also shaped many Sun Valley collections and collectors’ connection to art.
-Sunfish | Watercolor and tempera on paper | 20” x 21.5″ | Morris Graves
“By including younger and emerging artists, it allows us to have a wider range of work and present new ideas, which is one aspect that keeps things fresh and has made for such an interesting business and life,” she says. “While this year is primarily about the last 50—which have been so rich and rewarding—there are so many new and fascinating parts to the world of art to explore.”
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