Exclusive Art Gallery opens Downtown

By Vince Meehan

Downtown has seen some pedestrian-friendly improvements recently, especially along Fifth Avenue in the Gaslamp District where car traffic has been diverted off the road. This has created a new walkable promenade full of restaurants, shops and now an exclusive art gallery.

Ruth-Ann Thorn is the owner of Exclusive Collections, a gallery which is home to some of the most beautiful colorful art in San Diego. Native American heritage runs deep in Thorn as she grew up on a reservation in Valley Center as a member deep in Thorn and she is an enrolled tribal member of the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians located in Valley center where she currently resides. And art is thick in her blood, as it has become a passion for her, just like her mother Gloria Lee – a painter who has pieces on display at Exclusive Collections.

“How I got into art is that my mother is an artist, so I grew up around the arts,” Thorn explained. “And I never believed that I’d be involved in the arts at the level I’m at. So, I got my first job in 1988 at a gallery in Hawaii, I moved to Hawaii and started working at a gallery and then I just decided, ‘Wow, this is exactly what I want to do with the rest of my life,’ and here we are!”

The gallery serves as a sister store to her other gallery up in Solana Beach on the Cedros Avenue design corridor. Thorn opened her first gallery in San Diego 25 years ago and has not looked back since. Since then, she has opened seven different galleries over the years, but now has consolidated to the two San Diego locales.

“I started with one gallery in La Jolla, and that gallery opened in 1998 and from there I opened a bunch of galleries. I opened up at Fashion Valley Shopping Center; the next one was the Gaslamp and then one in Seaport Village. Then I opened in the Forum shops at Caesars Palace in Vegas, then Laguna Beach, Beverly Hills and one in Breckenridge Colorado.”

The art business is a very niche community and there really is no formal educational setting where you can learn how to do it. But for Thorn, it all seems to come naturally. And not only does she display art for the artists to sell, she also manages many of them which she says creates a sense of family.

“Well, we have what’s called at stable of artists, so those are artists that we have on display all year long. Those are our anchor artists that we’ve forged relationships with for a lot of years. And one of those artists is my mom who still paints! And then we will have guest artists who will come in and we’ll have shows throughout the year.”

Along with her stable of artists, Thorn also likes to hold special showcases for either up-and-coming artists, or celebrities including Chad Smith who is a painter as well as the drummer for The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Other special events include live art painting by the artists and tutorials for young artists. This makes her gallery the central hub for the art community and serves as ground zero for what’s happening in the art world.

“I think people – at least our collectors – connect with our gallery and then it’s up to us to continue to keep them informed. And that has been one of the pillars of our success as a gallery. Its that when we have collectors come in, we foster those relationships with them for years and they become not only collectors of art, but part of our artist community and ultimately they become friends of the gallery and patrons.”

Synthia Celestino is the manager of the Downtown gallery and has absorbed a wealth of art knowledge through osmosis during her 14 years at Exclusive Collections. “I’ve always loved art, and my art background comes from Ruth-Ann – what she taught me – she’s a good teacher!”

Exclusive Collections also features rare authorized limited edition prints provided by the estate of Dr. Seuss. Celestino says these prints are the only thing that people can collect as far as Dr. Seuss artwork. “Nobody can buy or own Dr. Seuss originals,” she stated in her distinct Brazilian accent. The only originals on display are at the Geisel Library at UCSD or at the Dr. Seuss museum in his hometown of Springfield, Massachusetts.

Celestino attributes this unique arrangement to Thorn’s natural ability to create strong relationships with those in the art community. And this includes her ability to make the collectors feel like part of a family – a family with a passion for art at its core.

“Because we are a family business, we want to keep it as a family – we believe that is important,” Celestino added. “You know, when you buy a piece of art, you’re not just buying a painting on a canvas, you are buying a piece of somebody. So the artist got inspired to paint or to sculpt or to draw – whatever it is – and you connected with that and then you take it home. So what happens is that –its almost like falling in love. So, when you fall in love, you want to know who was responsible for all the beauty that you now have at home. So yes, we like to introduce the artists to the collectors. When you talk about art, its not only a piece of art – it’s a whole experience. So we want to give the best experience that we possibly provide to the collectors.”

At a Glance:

Exclusive Collections www.ECGallery.com

(619) 756-8996

Instagram: @EC_Gallery

Downtown Gaslamp

621 5th Ave

Solana Beach 212 S Cedros Ave #104