Page 40 - index

October Gallery believes that art is for everyone. We
like to compare ourselves to the Marriott Hotel chain.
Te Marriott is neither the Ritz Carlton nor Motel 6. It

is a mid-range hotel. Te company’s Web site states that
the hotel ofers packages of “fun flled days and wild
nights that will ft any family’s budget without breaking
the bank.” At the Marriott one can get an expensive or
an inexpensive room depending on availability. October

Gallery’s marketing philosophy is similar to that of the
Marriott. We ofer an art experience that will ft anyone’s
budget, that does not have to break the bank. October

From left to right: Former Superintendent of the School District Gallery’s average sale is between $400 and $800. Te
of Philadelphia Constance Clayton, Lamar Redcross, Evelyn Gallery’s prices range from $25 to $25,000.
Redcross, TV Personality Ukee Washington and Tessie Varthas,
lead academic coach in the School District of Philadelphia’s Ofce
of the Performing Arts. October Gallery opened for business in July of 1985,
at 3805 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

It operated from this location for nine years. Te gallery
Artist Jonathan Pinkett at October Gallery Express
has since moved to 68 North 2nd Street in Philadelphia. (The Gallery at Market East Mall, Philadelphia, PA).
During the 1990s October Gallery operated six
Mercer has often told the following story in response
locations: two in Philadelphia; one in Cherry Hill, New
to this admonition. Tere was an old man who would
Jersey; one in Echelon, New Jersey; one in Burlington,
walk along the beach as the tide brought the starfsh
New Jersey; and one in Washington, DC.
onto the beach. Te old man knew that if a starfsh
did not get back into the water in short order, it would People often ask, “Where did the name ‘October
die. So the old man went along the beach and started Gallery’ come from?” We tell them there is a relation-
Photographer Raymond W. Holman Jr. (right) with
throwing the starfsh back into the water, one at a Junious Rhone Sr., at 3805 Lancaster Avenue. ship between the tenth month of the year and October
time. Now, keep in mind that there were thousands of Gallery. Tink about it! Te month of October and
starfsh on the beach, and this old man grabbed one at October Gallery both exhibit the magnifcence of

a time, throwing each back into the water. As this was beauty and color, one through nature’s multicolored
happening , a young man came along and looked at the autumnal arrays, the other through artists’ eyes.
old man and said, ”Are you crazy? Tere are thousands
October comes in the fall, when the colors of nature
of fsh on the beach. You can’t throw enough fsh back
change. Leaves on the trees change from variations of
into the water to possibly make a diference.” At that
green to combinations of orange, red, purple, yellow and
moment the old man picked up another starfsh and
brown. Tese variegated arrays are similar to the many
threw it into the ocean. He looked at the young man
colors on an artist’s palate; hence, the name October
and said, “Made a diference to that one!” Te old
Gallery.
man’s approach is like our approach to educating people
about art. We do it one client at a time, one couple at a
time, one class at a time. Gallery manager Angelina Bell at the Philadelphia International Activist Dick Gregory and artist Jefrey Glenn Reese.
Art Expo.

40 41