SHERIDAN — Make it or break it. Many artists live by this statement. Navigating the world of art is challenging, with most artists taking up a day job to pay the bills and spending long nights sitting down at a pottery wheel or picking up a paint brush. Despite hours poured into artwork, high gallery commission fees and finding the niche in Sheridan to market their art means making art a full-time job is challenging for many artists.
Hunter Quarterman, owner of co-op art gallery Fear and Loathing Where the Buffalo Roam, said he hopes to give budding and established artists a low commission rate to help them make a profit from their work and expand the co-op gallery into a nonprofit that offers art-based classes, like leather carving, glass blowing and pottery, to the public.
Quarterman said there is “an interest in that avenue” when discussing possible classes that could be held at the co-op gallery. He would start by teaching leather carving classes to a small group at the co-op, with a glass blowing class as an option as well.
Quarterman is exploring options with local galleries in town to turn the co-op gallery into a nonprofit, which he said would help cover the cost of materials for classes and necessities to manage the property.
Currently, Quarterman is funding most of the project with the money he makes from his remodeling company to help cover the cost of rent, utilities and materials needed to remodel some additional workshops behind the storefront.
Quarterman is keeping the cost of commission low by having artists pay an annual $40 fee, and in return, artists watch the store two days a month. The commission rate at the co-op is 15%, which is lower than the national average that can range anywhere from 20-50%.
One weekend a month, the co-op holds Sheridan Open Market where artists can set up booths to sell their art for $20 a day. If an artist pays for three spaces, they get the fourth space free. Quarterman said this was a good way for artists to “build confidence” for selling their art at galleries or at Third Thursday.
The idea for the co-op came from an experience Quarterman had with The Story Artists Co-op in Story (now closed), in which he sold his first piece of art while finishing up his associate’s degree at Sheridan College.
“That was the first time I ever made a sale that was for more than $20,” Quarterman said. “I sold one of my metal gear sculptures for $300. That left an impact on me where I developed the hope that I could financially support myself through my passions.”
Quarterman drew inspiration from journalist Hunter S. Thompson and his 1971 book “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” which was later adapted into a 1980 film called “Where the Buffalo Roam” for naming the co-op.
Thompson popularized a style of writing called gonzo, which emphasized the personality of the art piece over the work itself. Quarterman describes this style as something that does “not fit in.”
“People have an interest in electric art here. Why not create a place for people to find it?” Quarterman said.
Fear and Loathing Where the Buffalo Roam is located at 1145 N. Main St.
