The long-established but newly named Foothills Art Galleries, 6420 N. Campbell Ave., just north of East Skyline Drive, is one of those rare places in Tucson that offers beauty and tranquility amid a topsy-turvy world.
With one turn off the beaten path, the art aficionado finds refuge from the cacophony of traffic, squealing brakes and honking horns, and enters a secluded courtyard housing four art galleries; a reminder of the architect’s ability to create something that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.
The surroundings are intriguing. The hush of the courtyard is enhanced by stately trees that share space with sculptures and a variety of desert plants, with a view of the Catalinas in the distance. In the center of it all is a self-sustaining goldfish pond.
Chris Sanders, co-owner of Sanders Galleries, one of the longer-running galleries on the property, said that they never feed the fish.
“They munch on reeds and other plant life and produce even more fish,” he said. “Their little ecosystem is amazing.”
Joining Sanders Galleries, is its longtime neighboring gallery, Settlers West, owned by Stuart Johnson, FoR Fine Art, which opened on Oct. 1, and another recent addition, Sunset Interiors & Design Studio.
FoR Fine Art offers “a contemporary twist on Western art, including jewelry and designer accessories created by artists from all over the West,” according to co-owner Tula Thompson.
Sunset Interiors, whose motto is “furniture and design with the West in mind,” is owned by Dara Davis and is a smaller satellite space that complements its flagship gallery in Plaza Colonial across the street, 2870 E. Skyline Drive.
Chris Sanders’ father, gallery founder Jim Sanders, and Johnson go back 45 years to when each owned an art gallery in midtown Tucson. At that time, Campbell and Skyline were, as Sanders put it, “in the middle of nowhere.”
But the two had a vision of a different kind of art complex. Johnson said.
“We wanted to welcome people to a place of relaxation as well as art,” he added. “Here it would be all right to tarry, ask questions and just maybe fall in love with a piece of art.”
The complex, built in the Santa Fe style, opened in the early 1980s.
Chris Sanders joined his father in 1998. Chris always had an interest in the field in which his father worked.
“Even as a child I was into art,” he reminisced. “I hung the posters in my room as if they were in a museum, even in grade school.” Jim Sanders still confers with his son frequently on art matters and does quite a bit of behind-the-scenes work.
Sanders Galleries and Settlers West have similar types of art, yet with distinct differences. Settlers West specializes in fine Western art, wildlife and American landscape paintings, as well as Western and wildlife bronzes. At Sanders Galleries, the focus is on American art, both impressionism and realism.
Both gallery owners invite artists to submit their work for possible consignment. Sanders also travels to art markets in search of the next great Georgia O’Keeffe or Frederic Remington.
Chris Sanders said the two galleries complement each other.
“The works are all originals,” he added. “There is only one of each on Earth.”
Foothills Art Galleries recently partnered with several other arts-related businesses in Plaza Colonial across the street to create the Foothills Art District. The other participating galleries include Jane Hamilton Fine Art, Wilde Meyer Gallery and Sunset Interiors & Design Studio’s two primary locations.
The Foothills Art District is holding First Thursday Art Walks each month from 4-7 p.m. Johnson said that the walks “will feature good food, music and friendly conversation all geared to create a welcoming atmosphere for visiting the fabulous art found here.”
A lively crowd enjoyed a picture-perfect late Thursday afternoon on the first Art Walk, held on Nov. 4, admiring a variety of objets d’art, noshing on nibbles and enjoying live guitar and harp.
Chris Sanders said the overall plan for the new arts district is “to keep making this a place for generations to come and enjoy fine art.”
