Downtown Phoenix Voices is an ongoing series of profiles on the many diverse and inspirational voices in the downtown Phoenix community. To read the previous installment in the series, click here.
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Be it through consulting businesses, designing greeting cards or promoting art downtown, Mike Oleskow has resolved to improve the Phoenix art scene.
Oleskow has reached out to the art community by running his own gallery, After Hours Gallery, and serving as president of Artlink Phoenix, a nonprofit committed to serving Phoenix through art.
His fascination with art began with elementary school art projects while he was growing up near Philadelphia.
“I thought I wanted to go to art school,” he said.
But he ended up in premedical studies after he became discouraged because a friend of his who was a talented artist thought she wasn’t any good.
Oleskow still found himself in a creative career. His love for art led him to create his first business, Max & Lucy, which specialized in greeting cards that were sold in a variety of retail venues, from boutiques to Target stores.
After a successful run in the greeting card industry, Oleskow began advising young businesses through his consulting business, Modus Operandi.
Oleskow no longer runs Max & Lucy, but his experience with the business allowed him to utilize his love for art and was good background experience for running the gallery, he said.
As he spent more time in the downtown community, he realized art in downtown Phoenix was in bad shape due to a lack of interest from businesses and residents.
He opened After Hours Gallery with his partner Russ Haan in 1998, after moving to Phoenix from New Jersey. Haan has owned a marketing company After Hours Creative since 1988. After Hours Creative shares the building with the gallery.
Opening After Hours Gallery led Oleskow to the 2004 construction of his current home and workplace, he said. The unique gray structure, located on McDowell Road and Central Avenue, hosted the gallery from 2008 to 2011.
With large glass windows covering the front of the building, light shines through to the retired After Hours Gallery, giving the space a creative and informal vibe that is similar to Oleskow’s casual yet artistic style. Oleskow and Haan’s residence is located on the second floor of the spacious 7,500-square-foot structure.
Oleskow said After Hours Gallery hosted shows featuring everything from photographed dogs to painted skateboards. Most of the artists featured at the gallery were local, but some were international, he said.
Jim McPherson, who worked with Oleskow on the Downtown Voices Coalition, said Oleskow produced high-quality shows that were a great addition to the downtown art scene.
After the gallery closed in 2011, Oleskow said he devoted more time to his consulting business. Finding artists to feature and pulling shows together for the gallery was difficult, he said.
“The consulting was something that was fairly easy for me,” he said. “The gallery wasn’t.”
But he wanted to challenge himself, and building the arts community downtown proved to be that challenge. The success that Artlink received after he joined the governing board in 2011 was rewarding, he said.
Oleskow said First Fridays, Artlink’s main focus, now give approximately 15,000 Arizonans and travelers a glimpse of downtown culture and artwork each month.
Haan described Oleskow as a hardworking Artlink president whose dedication paid off.
“A small investment in the arts community has a massive multiplier in terms of the overall economic impact and health of the city,” Haan said.
First Fridays has encompassed the culture of a downtown atmosphere as well as the Phoenix vibe, Oleskow said, describing Artlink’s impact on the increasing popularity of art in the community.
Tim Sprague, owner of local real estate company Habitat Metro, served with Oleskow on the Downtown Voices Coalition.
“He brought leadership to Artlink in a time of trouble when it needed to be revived,” Sprague said.
Oleskow has been responsible for ensuring that trolleys for the monthly art detours are available to take residents to each destination, he said.
Oleskow resigned as president of Artlink earlier this month because he was looking for something different. Though his position with the nonprofit was on a volunteer basis, it was a full-time job and he’s looking forward to using his time in a career in the arts or hospitality, he said.
“I’m looking for something else to do that’s rewarding and challenging,” Oleskow said.
Haan said Oleskow has helped change Artlink into something significant, and he will continue to be involved in the downtown art scene.
“I think you’ll see Mike involved in some things that really bridge small business with the arts community,” Sprague said.
One of the best things that came from his involvement with Artlink was that now Phoenix artists and businesses have a place to work together, Oleskow said.
“There’s so much that can happen with this city,” Oleskow said. “The opportunities are endless.”
Contact the reporter at jemaxwe2@asu.edu
