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Muse Art Reclaimed B R I N G I N G L O C A L A RT I ST S, C O M M U N IT Y TOG ET H E R STORY & PHOTOS BY KAYLA ANDERSON
Muse shop and gallery. From left, Muse owners Renee Koijane and Peggy Linquist. | Kayla Anderson
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use Art Reclaimed owners Peggy Lindquist and Renee Koijane are in a bright, cozy, sunlit space surrounded by beautiful handmade art and a delicious batch of moist peanut-butter cookies that Lindquist made the night before. The two business partners opened Muse in early 2020 when Lindquist invited Koijane to her studio in Tahoe City to teach her how to sew a cover on an antique chair. Lindquist acquired the space a few years before meeting Koijane as a place to paint, showcase her art and teach classes. However, the idea was becoming stagnant when she met Koijane through a mutual friend at a yoga class. The two instantly hit it off. Koijane had owned an art cooperative and boutique on the West Shore, called Reclaimed, and decided to go into business with Lindquist on a handshake. “I never used a sewing machine in my life, but I wanted to learn and had a feeling about Peggy. I told my husband, ‘This is the first day of the rest of my life.’ I just knew there was something here,” recalls Koijane. “We opened this together right when the pandemic hit. All the cards were against us; this is a case study in resilience and I think that it forced out our creativity.” Lindquist concurs, “There was a mutu26
al trust and respect right from the start, a heart connection. And I was ready to not do this alone anymore. And meeting Renee, who owned Reclaimed, it was perfect timing. I was ready to have collaboration.”
“We opened [Muse] right when the pandemic hit. All the cards were against us; this is a case study in resilience and I think that it forced out our creativity.” - Renee Koijane “I never wanted to do it alone either and this place resonated with me,” agrees Koijane. “But it was a business partner approach that no one would advise you to do. It was very intuition based, a success story of following your heart. She was the spark and I put a little fuel on the spark.” She missed having a place in which to showcase her work and being more involved in the community. “It was easy partnering with Peggy, aside from the pandemic. I learn
so much from her.” Today, Muse, is a gallery and shop that carries highly curated art from a dozen local artists, including Koijane’s oil paintings and Lindquist’s weavings, collages, paintings and succulent art. “We’re all in this together and want to support you to make your dream come true. But we are discerning in what we take. We have a teeny space, so we want to carry what we love,” Lindquist says. “And the vibe and connection that the artists have with us is important,” Koijane says. Lindquist nods and says, “It’s nice being around friends who are artists; it can help you move through problems which can be motivating.” Muse invites artisans and vendors of all kinds to join them at their First Fridays events held on the first Friday in the summer months from 4 to 9 p.m. Lindquist was surprised to see that instead of passing through, people stayed and lingered outdoors with their neighbors and friends. Throughout the year, Muse offers space to host classes, popups and other special events. “This is the people’s safe space, where they can go to hang out, be together. We want this to be more of a community,” Lindquist says. “It’s like having a hummingbird feeder, you know, how it attracts all the other
hummingbirds? That’s what this place is for artists; it attracts other artists.,” says Koijane. “Tahoe has a lot of creative people, but for a very long time there wasn’t a gathering place,” says Lindquist. “Sometimes the lake is busy or you don’t want to go skiing. You can come here and work. There are five or six of us total who share hours in this space. We don’t have any employees and think that this way people are more invested in the artists,” Koijane says. | museartreclaimed.com, @museartreclaimed n
FIRST FRIDAYS AT MUSE Muse Art Reclaimed will host First Friday outdoor artisan markets beginning on June 3 and will continue all summer until Sept. 2. From 4-9 p.m. each first Friday of the month, Muse will host more than a dozen local artisans selling their wares, live music, a local food truck on site and drinks poured by Tahoe Wine Collective (drink proceeds will benefit Tahoe Truckee School of Music.)
