Gregg Martinez, Page’s economic development coordinator, opened the side door at Page Public Library. A diverse collection of local artists and musicians began entering for the 6 p.m. meeting. The room, a combination of sleepy beige walls and honey maple paneling, had a white board, a few stuffed black leatherette chairs and barely enough folding white plastic chairs to seat the group. Except for a round school clock, the walls were bare – no framed photos, no posters, no artwork. 

Feb. 5, 2020, was the day things got serious. Grand Circle Arts Alliance (GCAA) developed a mission statement and, to meet Arizona nonprofit corporation qualifications, chose its first officers. Maschelle Zia, one of the founding members, was elected president by show of hands. Zia, a National Park Service ranger at the time, led the meeting, keeping it focused and on topic.

For vice president, the group elected Melissa Glover. Jim Hickman agreed to act as interim treasurer, and Wagner Kelly volunteered to serve as secretary. Hickman and Kelly received unanimous approval from the mostly quiet artists. 

Momentum for GCAA was gathering quickly. The new organization began with about 50 members. The City of Page was behind them, and plans were underway for outdoor art and music events. Then, the following month, seemingly out of nowhere, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the world, the nation, Page and GCAA. Through it all, core members of the young organization kept in contact and kept moving forward, eventually finding a home at the Atomic Surf Shop next to Canyon Crepes Cafe. The business was part kayak sales, part photography studio and part art gallery. Eventually, art won out and it was renamed The Gallery.

The Gallery offered workshops, held events and was a meeting place for GCAA members. In addition, events were held outside the gallery in the breezeway, and workshops were regularly held at LP Espresso just around the corner.

On July 8, 2023, regional artists, area residents and tourists flocked to the grand opening of The Gallery’s new location at 71 7th Avenue. GCAA provided drinks, snacks and entertainment by singer-guitarist Kendall. Two weeks earlier, Page City Council unanimously approved a liquor permit for the event.

The Chronicle spoke with one of the founding members and GCAA’s current president, Wagner Kelly. Kelly and his partner, Shelby Nevada Statham moved from Colorado to Page in 2018. Originally from Florida, Kelly moved to Colorado to finish school at Colorado State University, graduating in 1994.

“I was in the engineering side of stuff,” Kelly said. “I studied construction, but I also studied ecology, chemistry, soil science, things like that.

“I did environmental construction work. We did riparian habitats, revitalizations after chemical spills, big development projects, water containment systems, things like that. I worked with the Environmental Protection Agency and with the State of Colorado Department of Public Health and things like that in the environmental side.”

Kelly became a route supervisor for the Colorado Transportation Department.

“I did my public service for 10, 11, 12 years, whatever it was, but it burned me out. I got tired of the snow. I got tired of the 16-hour days and then being on call,” he said.

Kelly met Statham a year before leaving Colorado and ultimately deciding to make Page their home.

“We traveled all over New Mexico and Arizona and Utah and kind of just landed here,” Kelly said.

The couple are both versatile professional photographers. Statham has gained a reputation for her unique style of fine art astrophotography. Kelly, while comfortable with conventional photography, likes pushing the limits of art. During the Chronicle interview, Kelly quoted Banksy, best known for his satirical street art: “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.” 

Kelly is also an accomplished sculptor. One of his works is at Blue Buddha Sushi Lounge in Page. He describes it as “a view into a bamboo forest. Bamboo is often grown around sacred Buddhist sites as a barrier to evil. It is a welded steel sculpture. The bamboo in the sculpture is solid steel rod and worked to form the individual stalks. The blue color and light represents calm, healing and purity.”

When GCAA was forming, a lot of group brainstorming shaped its direction. One of the central threads was, “What can we learn from other communities about supporting the arts?” It was clear to all that something was missing, and something needed to be done in Page.

“I've lived all over the country,” Kelly said. “I've lived all over Colorado. I spent a lot of years in these little towns. And when I got here, the thing that struck me is that there wasn't an art gallery. The conservancy had art on the walls, but it wasn't something where artists could gather and put their stuff up.”

One of the most striking features of GCAA’s membership and their art is the variety. Philosophers, artists and critics have argued about art, what it is, what it isn’t and its value to society for over 2,000 years. It’s tempting to describe art as points on a spectrum between trite and serious, between craft and social vision, but GCAA bucks all that. The Gallery shows that art is for everyone.

While Kelly might prefer political art that pushes against social norms and the powerful, other artists communicate the beauty of their environments or imaginations on canvas, carvings, stained glass or any medium available. 

Cassidy Finn, treasurer for GCAA, found her artistic niche. She specializes in images of Bigfoot and aliens. Finn uses a variety of mediums. The most striking are her multilayered wood sculptures. She features iconic local landmarks like Tower Butte, Navajo Mountain and Rainbow Bridge. She also has laser engraved earrings cut from 1/8 Baltic birch plywood and hand painted. 

“I have a laser at home,” Finn said. “I come up with a design, and then I cut multiple layers out of eighth-inch plywood, and then I paint it and assemble it.”

Finn controls her desktop laser cutter with a computer after she designs the individual layers with Adobe Illustrator software.

Speaking of her subject matter, Finn said, “I love the thought of the unknown. We can't be alone, right? We cannot be alone. Maybe I'd be scared out of my shorts if they ever arrive, but we can't be alone.

“I like the idea of Bigfoot. Well, I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. Bigfoot is really prevalent along the coast and in the forests, and so I thought, ‘Well, I like Bigfoot, so I'm going to make Bigfoot stuff.’ I have Navajo people coming to me all the time when I'm doing an outdoor show to tell me that their family member saw Sasquatch or their family member when they were a kid saw a flying saucer. And it’s just interesting because rumor has it, First People have been visited before anyway.

“People will look, and they'll giggle. ‘Is that a flying saucer? Oh, my gosh.’ And then they’re like, ‘Oh, I know somebody who likes flying saucers,’ or, ‘I know somebody who likes cactus, and I like flying saucers,’ so they buy stuff.”

Finn said her art sold well at last year’s UFO Festival in Roswell, New Mexico.

Cynthia Loth is a retired general contractor from the state of Washington. Her love of painting began as a child of 10. Loth’s style with wildlife is distinct and easily recognizable after a single viewing. Her animals wear their environments like a badge of honor. They’re weathered, scruffy and endearing. 

The animals is Loth’s paintings are based on her wildlife photographs. Her skies are from her imagination. Elements of fantasy mingle with the natural world, or as Loth describes them, “Whimsical.”

“My idol of painters, believe it or not, is Dali,” Loth said. “A picture, just a flat photo, to me would be boring. But I could take pieces of it and then incorporate it. That's how I've always painted. I can see it in my head. Then my goal is to actually paint, and I draw it out and put it in context of how I want it.”

While selling art is important to local artists, being part of a like-minded community is also important, regardless of style, medium or intention.

“Artwork and the way people express themselves is how I think you find your identity,” Kelly said. “It's how you find your path in life. It's how you find your direction, whether your artwork is politically motivated or not. It speaks about you a lot.”

Kelly added, “The gallery is so key to what we do, because it’s the tangible part of Grand Circle Arts. People come in and touch it, and they can see it, and they can trip over it, and that’s what makes Grand Circle Arts. That’s our connection to the public. All the other stuff that we do, the Friday art walks, setting up the booths and things, that's really important to our member artists, because that's how they make their money out of it. You have to be able to make something out of it. You can't just keep contributing and never get anything back financially, or else you get tired of it. So that's the way that we do that.” 

Grand Circle Arts Alliance is 501c3 nonprofit organization. The Gallery is located at 71 7th Avenue, Page, Arizona.