Joe Molina Gallery Information

Art changed Joe Molina's world, and he hopes to help others change their world using the art gallery he is opening in downtown Greeley. Molina is bringing new life to a long-abandoned building on the corner of 8th Avenue and 10th Street. The gallery will span adjoining properties at 930 8th Ave. and 731 10th St. It is tentatively scheduled for a grand opening Dec. 19. Along with the gallery, Molina plans to open studios in the basement for classes and eventually live-in artists. He also has a vision of a coffee bar, café and maybe even a rooftop restaurant. Downtown Development Authority executive director Pam Bricker said that building has been empty for as long as she can remember. "Art is everything," Molina said. "We wear it, we hear it, we see it, we taste it." "We're very, very pleased that Joe's making an investment in the downtown core. That building has been an eyesore for some time," she said. Bricker said a few years ago, after the building had already sat on the market for a number of years, a woman bought the building with the intent of turning it into a restaurant and bar. The woman who bought it didn't realize the amount of work that still needed to be put into the building and she eventually ran out of funds, Bricker said. Colette Pitcher, owner of Showcase Art Center, 1335 8th Ave., said she hopes this is the beginning of an art corridor in Greeley. "We need more galleries right down 8th Avenue," she said. "I've been on my soap box for 20 years hoping something like this would happen." Pitcher said bringing in more art attracts more art, which attracts more patrons and hopefully makes it a destination eventually. "It will certainly make it more of a destination (for people) to come down to 8th (Avenue) on the First Friday to see what's happening on the arts scene," Pitcher said, referring to monthly Friday activities that celebrates Greeley's arts and music scene. Molina opened the gallery because art is his passion, he said. "This is what makes me happy," he said. "This is what drives me." He hopes to communicate through art with the developmentally disabled as well as those who have drawn a bad card in life - like gang members. Molina grew up with a childhood that was less-than-Disney, and he said he understands and wants to help those who might be in similar situations. "I have so much to say through art - I have so much to say I don't know how to get it out in one lifetime," he said. "I want to create these messages in a beautiful, colorful way." Molina also wants to bring even more opportunities for artists to Greeley with the new gallery. He plans to offer internships, classes and studio space for aspiring artists. "I think we're on the forefront" of an art movement in Greeley, he said. "I want people to come in here. I want them to feel the energy." He said he even created the gallery with big walls on wheels so it's fluid and changing with every show, to make sure it's never the same. About three years ago, Molina opened his first art gallery at 515 13th St., which will now act as storage for the bigger gallery. He wants this gallery to be an "art Mecca" for every type of art. "I want to create events here that people want to come to from out of town," he said. Everything goes, including paint, ceramic, culinary, music, dance, fine art and more. Molina wants to open the gallery up for suggestions from the public and especially other artists. "If you can imagine it, it's going to happen," he said. Molina plans to open the studio with a personal show and then open it up to interns, guest artists and paying artists. He works with a lot of different mediums, but is mostly into ceramics. Until recently Molina made large scale vases and paintings, but a mountain biking accident earlier this year made it hard for him to lift his arm above his shoulder. With a back surgery about nine weeks ago, Molina said he has been struggling to create, and has even found himself making some darker pieces with paint that reflect his pain. He has been making a lot of ceramic bowls, which has been helping him feel better about the injury. Opening the new gallery has also helped him through the rough patch, he said. "I feel like this is one big art project," he said. "I've been able to put a lot of detail into this." Molina said he draws his inspiration as a creator from everything, but mostly mother earth. "Art is everything," Molina said. "We wear it, we hear it, we see it, we taste it."