The dream began when I was hired to work in a gallery in Cannon Beach in the early 2000's. The owner had been a director in Carmel and trained many other directors. It was an incredible introduction into the art world. This experience forever added depth to the way I view the world. Viewing the scenes through an artist's lens, noticing shadows and reflections, the details that artists paint when creating their work, altered my view of the world.

 

A few years later, the economy suffered, the gallery closed. I worked for a few other owners in a few other cities, missing many of the artists that had been there. After a time, I started wanting to open my own gallery and talked about it while pouring wine or doing some other sort of job that came up in between. I kept the space and flexibility open for the gallery that I was dreaming about. I walked through Seaside and Astoria, imagining the gallery in various locations, and would inquire from time to time about the cost per square foot. One day, a sort of miracle happened. I was talking to the owner of a building about how much Seaside needed another venue and how great the space on the 2nd floor would work. We had talked previously about my dream of having a gallery too. He offered me a small space on the 1st floor to get started and that was the beginning of the Angi D Wildt Gallery. It opened in November of 2018. In September of 2020, I was able to move into another of his properties in Astoria, Oregon on the 10th St. It is a magical street with three other galleries, boutiques, and a busy quilt shop. It is really fun to be part of this neighborhood in Astoria where more people make it a destination for viewing art. ​On a side note, when I moved back to the North Coast, I vowed to get into sailing and open and art gallery and not to let anything distract from those paths. I started sailing that first year and then a few years later...