photography courtesy of Dunn and Brown Contemporary
In 1999, Talley Dunn and Lisa Brown opened Dunn and Brown Contemporary, an art gallery, in a U-shaped building on Tracy Street. After more than a decade in the business, Brown left the gallery in 2011 to spend more time with her family. It was renamed Talley Dunn Gallery, but nothing else has changed. It still sits in the same spot, exhibiting an eclectic selection of contemporary art ranging from works on paper and canvas to etchings, sculpture, and more.
Exhibits usually run for one or two months. Much of the art displayed comes from a stable of more than 30 artists, many of whom are Texas-based. Dunn likes to follow an artist’s career before developing a working relationship, and many of the gallery’s contributors have a master of fine arts degree. “It doesn’t happen on a whim,” says gallery employee Courtney Tennison. “[Dunn and Brown] take time and research every artist before they decide to work with them.” The staff doesn’t take the clientele lightly, either. They are more interested in cultivating a customer’s collection than they are in simply selling a piece of art.