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Mercer and Evelyn Redcross
at October Gallery’s frst
home, 3805 Lancaster Ave.,
Philadelphia, PA.
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We developed an interest in the visual arts and
collected pieces for our home. Our modest art collection,
which included Salvador Dali', Joan Miro' and others,
grew until we ran out of space. It was not a premier
collection. Most of the items were framed posters,
limited edition serigraphs and lithographs. Later, a few
originals were added. Our budget was inadequate for
collecting original art but the visual art seed was already
sown and was being nurtured in our hearts.
As we collected, it occurred to us that something was
missing. Where was the Black art–the art of our own
culture? We set out to explore and to become better
informed about African-American art. However, a
number of issues impeded this objective. African-
American art was difcult to fnd in traditional galleries.
We couldn’t see a body of work in one place. Obtaining
Black art meant visiting each artist, one home at a time.
Our inexperience did not help us sort through the
matter easily.
By the 1980s we had met several Black artists and
were able to add their creations to our collection. Less
than a handful of commercial African-American art
galleries had opened in the country by that time.
Finding Black art was still a challenge.
I remember someone saying to me that “Art is not in the
neighborhood; Art is only the guy that lived down the street.”
In order for us to acquire Black art we would
sometimes drive to New York City, visit an artist’s studio,
then travel to northern New Jersey to visit several other
artists’ studios. After repeating this ritual at the rate
The October Gallery Catalog
was frst published in the late 1980s. It was one of
our biggest educational tools. Information about
prints, posters, originals and artists’ biographies was
included. This helped to educate our customers.
Today the catalog is a collector’s item.
Patchin visited us at the gallery. She had operated a
gallery a few years before and gave us the one piece of
advice that set the course for the gallery from that day
forward. She said, “Why should I come to October
Gallery for a Dali', an Erte' or an Icart? I can get that
art in almost any other gallery. African-American art
is unique. You should promote that. Ten, there is a
reason to come.”
What Cheryl said rang true for Mercer and me.
We knew instinctively that it was the right move to
make. And the following day there were sale signs on
The October Gallery all the art that was not African-American. We would
credit card and our make the transition and provide a one-stop-shop for
frst business card.
the exhibiting, marketing, viewing and purchasing of
of three or four visits in one day, we would make our African-American art.
selection and return to one of the studios and complete
a purchase.
Tis new task took time, energy and resources. We
realized that for this kind of efort, this kind of difculty,
we might better serve ourselves and others with similar
interests by putting an art collection under one roof. It
seemed to us that other people might gravitate to our
artistic fndings.
Te excitement of stumbling upon a product so
hidden yet so rich in culture and expression was
the catalyst that started kitchen-table discussions
and ultimately gave birth to October Gallery.
Mercer and I opened October Gallery in 1985.
Originally, we added mainstream art to the inventory,
unsure whether an exclusive Black art concept could
stand alone. A short time later, my friend Cheryl
“Art is no extravagance”
was an article written by one of our staf
members. Education has always been the
cornerstone of October Gallery.
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