{9} the Gallery earned more than enough money over the past two days through donations from the community and Wednesday’s fundraising event to stay in business, the owner said.
The landlords of the gallery, located on Grand Avenue and McKinley Street, agreed to dismiss the case against owner Laura Dragon in return for a small concession on the nearly $3,000 she owed in late fees. She paid part of the total $7,290 she was charged on summons on Wednesday.
“I’ve been so emotional all day,” owner Laura Dragon said. “Last night was incredible.”
Dragon collected about $1,500 from the silent auction held at the gallery Wednesday night and received $1,900 over two days through her GoFundMe campaign.
“I would have covered (the cost) even if they hadn’t given me a concession,” she said. “It was just a complete outpouring from the community.”
Dragon said she is going to use the leftover money to get ahead on November’s rent. She said it was a humbling experience to see how much downtown Phoenix residents love the place she created.
“It’s something that has always been from my heart, and I guess people see that,” she said.
Amanda Adkins, an artist who has painted several murals around Phoenix and designed one of the Free Little Libraries, donated one of her paintings to the fundraiser.
Adkins said it would have been a sad day for Grand Avenue and all of the artists, poets and musicians who work with {9} the Gallery if the space shut down.
“(Dragon) sacrificed a lot of her own time and money into this space,” she said. “To see a space like this close after she’s worked so hard … it would be really sad.”
Adkins said the gallery is a welcoming place for artists of all mediums because of Dragon’s welcoming nature. She said she calls Dragon when she has creative ideas.
“When I think of Laura, the first word that comes to my mind is ‘open’,” she said. “The involvements she has with her artists is very personal — it feels very one-on-one.”
Tim Sprague, a board of directors chair for the Grand Avenue Members Association, said the gallery’s impact downtown comes from Dragon’s passion for the gallery and art.
“Laura Dragon should get a gold star — period,” he said. “It’s people like her that make the arts community in Phoenix work.”
He said to maximize art communities, outlets must exist in multiple sizes and forms. {9} the Gallery hosts art that wouldn’t be available to the public if not for the openness of the gallery, and the time and energy put forth by Dragon, he said.
“She is extremely sensitive to the needs and interests of the surrounding community, and her heart’s in it,” he said. “This is not a job; this is a passion.”
Dragon said her worry of letting down the people who already had events booked was the most mortifying part of the situation. Now the gallery is continuing its regular schedule of classes and shows including a hip-hop Halloween party on Friday night called “Thriller.”
“Without the artists, without the poets, without the creative community, I wouldn’t have anything,” she said. “It’s the community that makes {9} what {9} is, and I’m just really grateful we get to stay.”
Contact the reporter at sajarvis@asu.edu
