Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Gohman.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Daniel. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve always been into art. In high school, I was in the skate/punk scene and I guess that got me into a kinda DIY mentality about things. I got really into photography and film and went to UC Riverside and majored in Film & Visual Culture. After I graduated in 2007, I ended up working at a variety of different media companies like an ABC News affiliate, Technicolor, and USA Today Network.
At USA Today, I was working in advertising out in Palm Springs for about five years and at about three years in I was just dissatisfied because there was absolutely nothing creative about the work I was doing. So I just started doing my own art and photography again on the side as kind of a release. I ended up getting a show at Augie’s Coffee where I go just about every day, and that opened up a lot of doors for me both in my art career and in ultimately starting The Artlands.
The general manager of Augie’s at the time, Robb Pearson, happened to also run Downtown Redlands Art Walk where he got me a space and that is where I met an artist named Aeron Brown who invited me into his gallery. He ultimately handed the space over to our project and that’s where we are today. We were able to secure a fiscal sponsorship from The Arts Area, which gave our project 501(c)(3) nonprofit status.
Has it been a smooth road?
There have been bumps in the road of course like any start-up. Just dealing with uncertainty over transitioning over into our physical space. It’s also taken us months to recreate and rebrand the gallery and get it going in the direction it is now. Now the challenge is fundraising and managing our growth. We are adding people to our organization that can take on specific projects and tasks because there is no way I can be at every event or do it all by myself.
We’d love to hear more about your organization.
We are a nonprofit arts organization that is cultivating and promoting a thriving art scene and creative economy in the Inland Empire and desert communities of Southern California. We engage our community by empowering and validating local artists and creatives by giving them a platform to showcase and sell their work through our gallery & shop in downtown Redlands and at other locations throughout the region. We also host workshops and events.
What makes me the most proud about what we are doing is also what sets us apart. Most of the artists that are showing in our gallery space have never hung in a gallery before. We have a wealth of local talent in the area, but there are just not a lot of opportunities if you don’t have money or are not connected. We are beginning to change that for our area.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I feel like our area is a great place for a business like ours because there is a need. I feel like there should be more spaces like ours. The response has actually been surprising.
Contact Info:
- Address: 18 E. Vine St., Redlands, CA 92373
- Website: www.theartlands.org
- Phone: (909) 255-6152
- Email: theartlandsca@gmail.com
- Instagram: @theartlands
Image Credit:
Willis Salomon
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