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The Horned Hand Eclectic Gallery Gathering a Large Following
Bend’s newest gallery The Horned Hand, on 507 NW Colorado Ave., has already attracted the attention of many in the area. A retail art space that also holds film viewings and music events, is responding to a unique section of the local art population. Owners Wesley Ladd and Callie Young created The Horned Hand to represent artists they believe in, which they say comes down to respect, tolerance and community. The couple sees the gallery as a space for the counter culture to have an artistic outlet.
“We want to create an experience. People know they are coming into a safe place where there is no judgment on lifestyle or race, we are all a bunch of outsiders who are trying to do something special here. It’s cool to see strangers sit down together and make connections,” said Ladd.
The Horned Hand is the first business the couple started. Working as a hotshot firefighter in Prineville the past few summers, Ladd became aware of the large artist community in the high desert. “Bend has a lot of people between the ages of 25 and 45. It is a great place to raise a family and to be outdoors. We thought it was lacking the darker subculture type of place where you can find things like rock and roll clothing and art,” Ladd said.
“We started looking at spaces to rent last fall and found the old space of Repeat Performance in April. We met the landlord and everyone involved felt like there was a need for this type of business.”
Artists can expect to recoup more money in commission than most non-profits or galleries because the couple wants to keep artists in the business of making art. Currently the space displays work ranging from paintings, print making, furniture, found objects, vintage clothing, upcycled clothing, sculpture, creative taxidermy, zines, film, beer (beer making can be an art!) and more.
The walls change with a rotating stream of art. Because The Horned Hand welcomes lingering, Ladd has already had customers ruing the sale of art they had spent weeks admiring. Ladd commented, “You have time to really sit with a piece of art here.” Prices range from $6 to $10,000.
Featured local artists include Dirk Spece, Boneyard Brewery label designer, with woodcuts and prints and beautiful paintings on glass by Alex Reisfar. Next in line will be art from Dana MacKenzie, professional illustrator and designer in the video game industry, and pottery from Chad Fox at Cindercone.
Films play as a dynamic background on the wall and turn into film screenings several times a week. Bands and musicians play on the corner stage and The Horned Hand is starting to pull in unique acts from around the country.
Rounding off the Horned Hand experience, food carts The Codfather and The Paper Airplane Project, are parked outdoors and provide evening and late night access to fish and chips and falafel.
Ladd and Young are intent on providing services for the whole art community. They will host classes from the free skool, a project that gets people together to create art for public places, and a sewing machine and single color screen printer will be added for general project making activities.
“We are trying to branch out into the community and do benefit shows for places like City Thrift. A portion of the till at the end of the night will go to the non-profit, we want to support people doing good things in town,” said Ladd.
While The Horned Hand doesn’t have a dedicated website yet, they post frequently on their facebook page. Events, new art, music and film showings are listed.
507 NW Colorado Ave., Bend, OR 97701, 541-728-0879. www.facebook.com/TheHornedHand, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Mon - Sun 1pm - 1am.
