Today we’d like to introduce you to Sean & Carrie Beth McGarry.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
We’ve known each other since we were fourteen and fifteen years old, growing up in the same small suburb in Western New York. Fast forward eighteen years and we were married, living in Scottsdale, and began painting together as a hobby while I was pregnant with our daughter. On a whim we applied to an open art call and were selected by environmental activist organization Global Inheritance to be part of their Trashed x Coachella Art of Recycling Exhibit in Los Angeles and at the 2016 Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, CA under the pseudonym Fun WOW. Since then, we have exhibited annually in the downtown Los Angeles Arts District, at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival, as well as locally in solo and group shows in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona.
In April 2017, {9} The Gallery founder Laura Dragon was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and created {9} Collective as a way to continue her vision. FunWOW was invited to join as a founding member of the Collective and we exhibited with the gallery through March 2018, when we took over as the new owners. With our combined backgrounds in Arts Management, Art History and Organic Chemistry with a focus in Art Conservation, owning a fine art gallery was always on our timeline. We are excited to expand upon the legacy of the gallery, exhibiting local, national, and international artists of the highest quality, serving as an outlet for established artists to push the boundaries of their artistic creativity while offering a space where emerging contemporary artists have the opportunity to exhibit and find their market.
Please tell us about your art.
We run FunWOW as a pop-art brand. Every one-of-a-kind painting is designed digitally and hand-painted. Explosions, airplanes and good hair are recurring themes in FunWOW’s world. Words are often used in our work to trigger the visual context. We are inspired by Roy Lichtenstein, Ed Ruscha, Shepard Fairey, and Banksy. Ultimately, as we are creating we ask ourselves three questions: “Is it cool? Is it fun? Is it sexy?” If it meets the criteria, we move forward.
We are unique in that we work together as a pair. We work side-by-side, from the design through the execution of our paintings, and now with managing {9} The Gallery; we do it all together. Many people don’t understand how that is possible, but for us it has always come naturally, from hovering over the same canvas to conducting weekly marketing meetings on our back porch.
As gallery owners now, we look to exhibit contemporary art of the highest quality. We work with our artists to develop a cohesive, branded series for their feature shows on a timeline that works with their rate of production. Our artists know that they can contact us anytime with questions, to run drafts past us – anything that we can do to help them put out their best work and accomplish their vision.
We often hear from artists that being an artist can be lonely. Any advice for those looking to connect with other artists?
Go to galleries. Go to openings. Break outside the introspective, solitary bubble of being an artist and take note of what is being exhibited, what boundaries are being pushed (or not), and what is selling. Study the quality of execution. Get up close with the work and ask questions of the creator. Down deep, everyone loves to talk about themselves! And if you are lucky enough, you will connect with a gallery and like-minded artists where you can go and recreate the wonderful Parisian salon, talking for hours into the night about art, inspirations, and technique.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
FunWOW’s paintings are currently on display at Muse Apparel, a fabulous contemporary designer boutique owned by Victoria Lindley located in Uptown Plaza at Camelback and Central in Phoenix. You can follow FunWOW on Instagram at @funwow, our website, funwow.org, and on Artsy (https://www.artsy.net/9-the-gallery/artist/funwow)
FunWOW’s work is also held by Global Inheritance and in private collections across the United States and New Zealand.
We will also be making a rare painting appearance with Weezy’s Arthouse, an art-meets-fashion runway show curated by Weezy’s Playhouse and Ize, and hosted by {9} The Gallery on July 27th. Six top Phoenix artists will pair up with six top Phoenix fashion stylists to create unique, hand-painted apparel to benefit the Pierce Family Foundation and GoodwillAZ.
You can also follow the amazing featured artists and collective artists of 9 The Gallery on Instagram (@9thegallery), our website (9thegallery.com) and on Artsy (https://www.artsy.net/9-the-gallery).
Contact Info:
- Address: {9} The Gallery 1229 Grand Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85007 - Website: https://9thegallery.com
- Phone: (480) 454-5929
- Email: web@9thegallery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/9thegallery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/9TheGallery/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/9TheGallery
- Other: https://www.artsy.net/9-the-gallery/overview
Image Credit:
FunWOW
{9} The Gallery
Global Inheritance
Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
