culture

Quintana Galleries Closes Its Doors After 42 Years

By Phoebe Flanigan (OPB)
Portland, Oregon July 3, 2015 8:34 p.m.
Works on view at Quintana Galleries

Works on view at Quintana Galleries

Phoebe Flanigan / OPB

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Quintana Galleries is known nationwide for its collection of Native American Art. Turquoise and silver from the Southwest, and bold prints, carvings, baskets, and masks from the Northwest coast. It's the oldest continuously operating art gallery in Portland. And after 42 years, it's closing its doors.

"We're very sad to see it close. We've been customers for years," said Greg Dennis, a lawyer from Vancouver, Washington and a collector of Native American Art.
 
"Once they're closed we either will have to go to Vancouver, B.C. or New York – perhaps maybe Santa Fe to find this quality of stuff."
 
Dennis and his wife were at Quintana Galleries to check out a totem pole. It's massive — at eight and a half feet tall, it weighs almost 200 pounds.
 
"We have been in here over the years admiring this piece – I think it's been in the gallery for about 3 years," Dennis said.
 
Everything must go at Quintana Galleries, and the totem pole is on sale.

"Five thousand dollars off!" Dennis marveled.

After some strategizing  about how they'd fit it through their front door, Greg and his wife decided to pull the trigger. "It's a big piece, and you always wonder what you're going to do with gigantic pieces like that. But we heard they were leaving us so we figured it was now or never!"
 
The gallery won't actually close until mid August, but Cecily Quintana said it had been like that all day.
 
"It has been so busy – I don't even know if we all ate lunch or anything. It's been non-stop phone calls. I knew the community loved what we did. But not to this extent."
 
Cecily's been running the gallery since 2005. That's when she took it over from her parents, Cecil and Rose. They were there to say their goodbyes, too.
 
"Well I'll have to be honest with you," Rose said. "It really didn't hit me until just now."

Rose and Cecil Quintana started their gallery more than 40 years ago. They met and married in 1962 in Gallup, New Mexico.

"As a matter of fact," Rose recalled, "he never did ask me to marry him."  

Rose is Spanish-American, and Cecil, Cochiti Pueblo — but they both grew up immersed in native culture. Gallup is at the heart of the Navajo Nation, and it's often called the Indian Capital of the World.

"My brother was selling Indian jewelry – turquoise and silver," Cecil said. "And he gave me a bag of jewelry to sell. Said 'take this and sell it in Portland,' and we did."
 
They took it to a flea market, and came home with $3,000. That cash was invested over and over, from a paper bag to 4,000 square feet of gallery space. For the next 10 years, Rose and Cecil made their living selling Southwestern art; Rose says her daughter, Cecily, grew up in the family business.


Over time, Quintana Galleries developed a reputation for authenticity.

Cecil said the commodification of Native American art is ever-present. Their approach has been to take a different understanding of Native works. As artists from around the Pacific Northwest started hearing about the gallery, they began to approach the Quintanas with their own work. At first, the Quintanas had no idea what they were looking at — or even who they were dealing with.
 
"We're not of their culture," Cecil said. "We're of a different culture from the Southwest. So we didn't understand the politics of maybe the Northwest coastal artists. How they show together, who they'll show with, who they won't show with … in our naivety sometimes we would invite families who hadn't talked to each other literally in 100 years. And then they would show up here. And it would be awkward!"
 
That particular faux pas actually paid off. The two families decided to reconcile – right on the Quintana's patio.
 
"I remember they drummed and sang," Cecil recalled, "and it was so intense!
 
As the Quintana's were learning about Northwest native arts, so were collectors. Through the 80s and 90s, demand exploded. But the Quintanas are ready to move on. Rose was the first to retire, some years ago. They bought a house in Mexico, and they plan to live there full time. Cecily's not quite sure what she's going to do yet. But Rose has some ideas. She thinks Cecily would be a great jewelry maker or silversmith.
 
"It never ends – you're retired, Rose!" Cecil cracked.

Quintana Galleries is open through August 15.

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THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR:
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