6 minute read
Building Community Through Art
Brenda McMahon had a vision when she opened a small art gallery in Gulfport five years ago. Today, she has made a difference in the lives of many.
BY JAMES BRIGGS
“I was walking through Gulfport’s Tuesday Fresh Market one February when I saw a For Rent sign in the window of a new building downtown,” says ceramic artist Brenda McMahon. “In a flash I stopped, looked at the small, vacant retail space and thought - this is my new gallery. A few days later, on Valentine’s Day 2019, I signed the lease.”
It’s an idyllic Tuesday morning in April and McMahon is recounting her namesake gallery’s origin story to an inquiring customer under a shadegiving trumpet tree in front of what is now Brenda McMahon Gallery. The gallery occupies a prominent space on Beach Boulevard, Gulfport’s center for commerce and creativity, and houses the works of nearly 20 decorated artists.
The boulevard is bustling with vendors and visitors, and the gallery has become a must-see destination for art lovers who come to town for the same weekly event that first launched McMahon’s odyssey as a gallery owner. Inside, customers peruse a collection of jewelry, paintings, glass art, sculpture, fiber art, and McMahon’s own ceramic work.
“All of these wonderful people converge in this artist enclave community with open hearts and joyful expressions, and I wanted to create a gallery to welcome and reflect that,” she says.
McMahon has been living a creative life with clay for more than 30 years and moved to Gulfport from her native New York in 2008. She forms soft earth into polished vessels and creates sculptural wall art tiles in the quiet of her seaside studio. She sells her work to clients directly through the gallery, while also doing commissioned works, which she loves.
As it celebrates its fifth anniversary this May, the multi-award-winning gallery announced its expansion into the commercial space next door previously occupied by Custom House Décor. The expansion doubles the amount of space the gallery will have to showcase the works of its artists, including some upcoming exclusive series by gallery artists created specifically for the new space.
“I’m excited for what we have built and where we are going,” says McMahon. “Our expanded gallery allows us to showcase more of the artwork we love and open our selection to a broader client base. We also plan a special local artist highlight of rotating small works. So many of our visitors want a ‘traveling treasure’ art piece to remind them of why they love Gulfport and the St. Pete area.”
“Before opening the gallery, a lot of people didn’t realize I’d lived here quietly for 15 years,” reflects McMahon. With the founding and instant success of the artists collective ArtJones in 2017, McMahon’s ability to organize and implement ideas caught the attention of local officials. Community leaders in Gulfport and St. Petersburg noticed what some artists and collectors had long known about McMahon; she’s a tireless visionary with a strong desire to contribute to the communal good. Invitations to take on a more active role in the community soon emerged.
“I feel called to be active and engaged and make things better. I’ve never been shy of ideas nor energy,” she says.
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McMahon served as Chair of the Arts Committee for the Gulfport Merchants Chamber from 2018-2022, creating and implementing an artistic vision for the town that still reverberates. Working with colleagues, she was instrumental in the creation of a new, juried First Friday Art Walk event. Under her leadership, Gulfport’s Fine Arts Festival grew to become one of the most anticipated art shows in the region. And her gallery has long anchored the town’s two monthly art events on Beach Boulevard.
McMahon also uses her creativity as a vehicle for compassion, hosting a Breast Cancer Awareness show each October and donating a percentage of gallery sales to partnering Tampa region non-profits that benefit survivors and their families. It’s become one of the gallery’s more prominent annual shows and raised thousands of dollars for the organizations.
She relishes the opportunities that her position in the arts community has provided to help lift other artists. For years, she mentored the winner of the Gulfport Merchant Chamber’s Rise & Shine Emerging Artist Program and introduced numerous recipients of the Creative Pinellas Emerging Artist Grant to the greater St. Petersburg art community through the gallery’s Artist of the Month program.
Painter Patricia Kluwe Derderian is one of the region’s most exciting and vibrant young artists and transitioned from a Creative Pinellas Emerging Artist Grant to a highly successful solo debut exhibition as a featured artist at Brenda McMahon Gallery. She’s now one of the gallery’s most in-demand artists for both purchases and commissions.
“Brenda has been a mentor to me since the beginning. I admire her as a wonderful leader, for all she does for the community, and as the amazing businesswoman she is,” says Dederian.
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Through McMahon’s vision and leadership, her gallery has become a destination for art lovers throughout the Arts Coast region and beyond. Customers from Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and across America have purchased art from the gallery online or commissioned gallery artists for a custom piece.
“In my initial vision, I created a juried art show in a gallery setting. Now I’m ready to grow that vision,” says McMahon. “The gallery has become a go-to spot for visitors looking for contemporary craft and fine art locally, nationally, and beyond. My goal is to keep things fresh, surprise our audience, and keep the work moving!”
Brenda McMahon Gallery is located at 2901 Beach Boulevard S. in Gulfport, FL. Go to BrendaMcMahonGallery.com and follow the gallery on social media @brendamcmahongallery for gallery news and events.
James Briggs is the founder of Carroway + Rose, a creative arts agency representing artists, galleries, museums, and creative businesses throughout the Southeast.
