Armed with more than three decades, collectively, of custom framing experience, Ken Herren and Melissa Williamson-Herren opened Your Art’s Desire Gallery of Art & Framing in Minnetonka in May 2005. What sets them apart from most other framing shops in the metro area is the art gallery at the front of the store, which displays the artwork of emerging and established local artists.
Herren and Williamson-Herren met while working at another custom framing shop, which allowed them to hone their skills before venturing out on their own. “I think all businesses are natural byproducts of the people who run them,” Williamson-Herren says. Your Art’s Desire is very much a labor of love for the couple, now married, who work at least 55 hours each week at the shop.
Herren, a long-time artist himself, was acutely aware of the lack of gallery space in the metro as a whole, which is why the couple wanted to focus on showcasing artwork at their new business, in addition to framing services. In the 10 years since they’ve opened, they’ve highlighted the work of hundreds of artists. “We were really interested in seeing what we could do for the visual arts scene in the Twin Cities,” Herren says. Artists, loyal customers and the surrounding neighborhood have responded, making the business a success.
Yet working with Herren and Williamson-Herren goes beyond having your photos or art beautifully framed or seeing your work displayed in the welcoming gallery space. Williamson-Herren is a licensed social worker, who brings her caring nature to the table when interacting with customers and artists.
And Herren has a keen artistic eye and experience showing his own work in galleries. Together, the husband and wife form a team that not only supports artists, but mentors them when the situation warrants a deeper collaboration. They help artists with factors like determining prices for their pieces, as well as marketing and interacting with galleries and exhibit spaces—they help artists deal with the “business side” of being an artist. And they love giving artists the chance to show their work in a welcoming space that makes art approachable. “We wanted to create a space where people didn’t have to whisper,” says Herren.
The couple actively tries to demystify art, using Your Art’s Desire as the catalyst. In the past, they’ve hosted conversations with artists, which allowed patrons the opportunity to discuss art with an artist, making both the gallery and the artwork more accessible. “There is no right or wrong in art. It’s all about interpretation,” says Williamson-Herren. They also change the artwork every eight weeks to keep the gallery fresh and inviting.
Your Art’s Desire’s 10th anniversary celebrations in 2015 included a juried exhibit: the “Decade” exhibition artist show. They invited all artists who had been represented in the gallery since its inception to submit work for the show, and chose pieces to display that featured the colors blue or silver (symbolic of 10th anniversaries). Your Art’s Desire also hosts other conceptual shows, including “clean,” a showcase of work from artists in various stages of addiction recovery. The first year of “clean” highlighted the work of five artists, and in the subsequent years it has grown so much that it now requires the works to be juried, due to the outpouring of artists wanting to contribute. The artists’ last names are kept anonymous, and each piece includes an artist’s explanation detailing how the work reflects their recovery from addiction. The show is hosted every September, during National Recovery Month, and allows artists to show an even deeper vulnerability, which often connects with customers and other artists. It’s a show Herren holds close to his heart, as he is celebrating 25 years sober. The team at Your Art’s Desire is thrilled with the success of “clean” and the turnout for their other conceptual shows, as they help grow the art community in the lake area. Herren says, “You are part of the family if your art hangs here.”
