Maintaining an art gallery is intensive work. But there are a few gallery owners in Columbus who are mastering a major balancing act with two galleries in their repertoire.

Rebecca Ibel Gallery
Rebecca McCabe Ibel has surrounded herself with art her entire life. After studying art history in college at the American University in Paris, working at an auction house in New York and living in Berlin, a traveling exhibition brought her and her husband Sebastian to Columbus.

Ibel opened the Rebecca Ibel gallery in the Short North, located at 1055 N. High St., in 1993. Eleven years later, she opened a satellite gallery in the riverfront Miranova office building. Her second location, however, wasn’t necessarily planned.

Because of the unique space that houses the Short North gallery – a renovated gas station – Ibel received numerous offers from buyers interested in the space, which she and her husband own. Ibel considered relocating the gallery to another space, which led her to Miranova. The space at Miranova was bigger and located in a higher-traffic area, so she decided to sell the original gallery space in the Short North.

In 2004, Ibel opened the Miranova gallery and, when the deal to sell the space in the Short North fell through, she decided to keep both galleries.

Although the galleries are less than 3 miles apart, they cater to different artistic tastes and have different hours. Having two galleries allows Ibel to take advantage of the best of both worlds.

The Miranova gallery generates high foot traffic during the week, while the Short North gallery space (now shared with Ibel’s husband’s advertising agency) is advantageous during Gallery Hops. The Miranova gallery offers space for larger exhibitions from an array of artists from around the country, while the Short North gallery’s small space is ideal for satellite exhibitions. The galleries complete each other, Ibel says.

“I think it’s rewarding to live with art,” she says. “It nourishes your soul.”

A Muse Gallery
A Muse Gallery, 996 W. Third Ave. in Grandview Heights, also has two locations. A Muse opened in Columbus 11 years ago. Owners Caren and William Petersen opened the doors of A Muse’s satellite gallery in Taos, N.M., just one year ago.

Twenty years ago, Caren Petersen directed a gallery in Sante Fe, and since then has represented multiple artists in New Mexico. She and her husband regularly make trips to the “Land of Enchantment” to visit galleries, meet with artists and explore new art forms. They are also part of a 10-year plan to build an artists’ colony in Taos.

This strong connection to New Mexico is what inspired Petersen to open another gallery.

“We decided if we were going to be traveling back and forth out there we should build a gallery,” Petersen says.

Petersen’s husband spends two-week periods in Taos during the year, and both spend the summer there.

While the galleries are two separate entities, they share more than 30 artists’ work. A Muse hopes to further expand in the next few years. The Petersens are considering sites in Colorado Springs and Mill Valley, Calif.

Hammond Harkins Galleries Ltd.
Owners Marlana Hammond Keynes and Bill Harkins showcase American and European Fine Art at both their Bexley location (2264 E. Main St.), which opened in 1997, and their Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. location, which opened in 2000.

Hammond Keynes and Harkins met in 1996. He was a New York art dealer and she operated the Hammond and Festival Galleries in Lancaster for more than 20 years.

“Our tastes paralleled in various art concepts, so we became partners in 1997 and moved to the Bexley location,” Hammond Keynes says.

In 2000, the duo opened a Paul Hamilton exhibition at Martha’s Vineyard. It was a success and the owners of the gallery space they used asked them to open a second location.

“(Having both locations) provides our artists with greater opportunities to show their work to many different collectors,” Hammond Keynes says.

The Martha’s Vineyard gallery is seasonal – they each spend two months there during the summer. At both locations, their artists have a devoted following.

Anna Gerber is a contributing writer for CityScene.

If you go...

Rebecca Ibel Gallery
Miranova Gallery, 2 Miranova Pl., Ste. 150; hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and by appointment

Short North Gallery, 1055 N. High St.; hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and by appointment

www.rebeccaibel.com, gallery@rebeccaibel.com, 614-291-2555

A Muse Gallery
Grandview Heights Gallery, 996 W. Third Ave.; hours are 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and by appointment

Taos Gallery, 110 Paseo del Pueblo Norte

www.amusegallery.com, caren@amusegallery.com, 614-299-5003

Hammond Harkins Galleries Ltd.
Bexley Gallery, 2264 E. Main St., Bexley 

Martha’s Vineyard Gallery, 31 N. Summer St., Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.

www.hammondharkins.com, gallery@hammondharkins.com, 614-238-3000