The 14 artist/owners of Gallery One in Ocean View celebrate 15 years in business together
Story by Joe Willey | Photography by Pamela Aquilani
Ocean View, DE, is home to a unique fine-art gallery owned and staffed by a dedicated group of artists. Gallery One represents a mix of traditional and contemporary art, and each month brings the unexpected.
Jeanne Mueller, a painter and one of the gallery’s owners, is quick to trace her path to not only finding her métier but also how the gallery was founded and is now creatively operated.
Originally from Northern Baltimore County, Mueller admittedly only “dabbled” in the arts and did not consider pursuing visual creativity as a career. Her interest in painting would wait until her retirement from a career in the telecommunications industry and the subsequent move she and her husband made to Ocean View. When a friend asked her to come to a painting session with members of the now defunct Bethany Beach Watercolor Society, she wanted to but confessed she had no supplies. “I’ll give you paint and paper,” her neighbor replied. Mueller went and later joined the group.
In 2006, some of the artists in the group decided to start a gallery to display work year-round. It was an exciting proposition. They rented a small space that had just enough room to show paintings. That was 15 years ago.
Eileen Olson
The gallery, gaining fans among both locals and tourists, needed room to grow. In 2009, Gallery One moved to its current, much larger location space. Now, along with paintings, the gallery houses the works of potters, weavers, glassblowers, woodworkers, mosaic artists and jewelry makers. “It’s amazing how many different styles of art there are in the gallery,” Mueller says with a lilt of appreciation.
Gallery One is not a co-op but rather owned and operated by 14 artists, including five from the founding group, who all commit to staffing the gallery and other operational commitments. Relying on the cooperation, creativity and flexibility of all the artists, Gallery One’s business model has worked well, since, as Mueller said, “everyone has a desire to succeed.”
The gallery is open year-round, and the artwork is rehung each month to keep the display of art dynamic. One unique characteristic of the gallery is called the “theme wall.” Each artist/owner creates a new painting based on preselected monthly themes — a color, location, concept or an object. This creative way to keep the art fresh has earned many admirers. Some patrons make monthly visits to the gallery to relax and enjoy the new work.
Open seven days a week, Gallery One is located at 32 Atlantic Ave. (Rte. 26) in Ocean View. Visit their website, GalleryOneDE.com, for more information.