We recently had the chance to connect with Lynda DeGrow Kingsley and have shared our conversation below.
Lynda DeGrow , so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
First , let me clarify, I’m not speaking as an individual artist, but as both an artist and the Vice President of a Co-op Gallery, LAST Art Gallery here in Historic Downtown McKinney. We have 50 local artists in our gallery! We all work together running the gallery, showing our art, sharing with customers, selling art and making friends. One thing that has really surprised me is the fact that 80% of our business is with out- of-towners.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
When we started, several of us were in the same space as Artists showing our work. The owners decided they wanted to retire from running a Gallery and we had 30 days to see if we could put together a cooperative of Artists and make a new gallery. Well, we did it and started with about 30 Artists. Today, we are in our seventh year here in downtown Mckinney as a thriving Co-op with 50 artists!
Some of our local talent was already here and looking for a place to show their art, but we’ve also had quite a few artists who moved to Mckinney specifically because we had such a vibrant art community here. We’ve been lucky to get some fabulous Artists! Many, although living nearby are known throughout Texas and several are known nationally, right here in our McKinney Gallery.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
Many of our artists have been creating for years in little bits of spare time while we were doing the life thing – marriage, kids, jobs, community involvement . But as we got closer to retirement age, and commitments lessened, we got serious about our art, often taking art classes, workshops, even going back and getting Art degrees like I did. Of course, we have some brilliant “youngsters” too- some fabulous artists in their 30’s and 40’s! And a few of us have been artists creating for a living ever since High School!
It is such an incredible joy to create an artwork and then have someone love it enough to purchase it! So many of us had careers where our work was just part of the whole. So it really is a different experience to create, start to finish with our own hands and have it proudly displayed in someone’s home!
When did you last change your mind about something important?
One of the biggest mis-representations in these parts is you have to go to Dallas for good art ! My goal as a Board member for LAST Art Gallery is first, for McKinney locals to know we are here, to get to know us, then when they need art for their home or gifts, they will think of us first! And for Dallas, Richardson and all the surrounding communities to visit us and remember the quality of artworks we carry and the commissioned pieces we can create for their homes and work places too!
As a gallery, we have many types of art works for sale, several active in-house studios and class room space for art classes and workshops. We hope everyone looking for art will stop in and get to know us- the art we carry, and the artists who created it!
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
It is such an incredible joy to create an artwork and then have someone love it enough to purchase it! So many of us had careers where our work was just part of the whole. So it really is a different experience to create, start to finish with our own hands and have it proudly displayed in someone’s home!
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
Some of our local talent was already here and looking for a place to show their art, but we’ve also had quite a few artists who moved to Mckinney specifically because we had such a vibrant art community here. We’ve been lucky to get some fabulous Artists! Many, although living nearby are known throughout Texas and several are known nationally, right here in our McKinney Gallery.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
