“Really, truly, my artistic ability and what I thrive [in] is creating spaces vignettes and arrangements,” Martinez said. “If you look around, is it just a contemporary traditional kind of gallery? No, it’s a contemporary craftsman gallery, and that allows me to blend more materials.”
After spending time in the Spanish-inspired city, Martinez became the gallery director for a contemporary art gallery on West Sixth Street in Austin until 2016.
She then came across the Buda Mill & Grain Co. and set out to execute her vision inside the space in 2017.
“When I designed this space, I wanted it to be fluid,” Martinez said.
An 11-foot-long industrial table often takes center stage at the gallery, displaying local and national artists’ work. The artwork itself varies in medium from traditional canvas art to functional and nonfunctional ceramic pieces, jewelry, wood carvings and more—all paying homage to the first gallery she became an assistant for.
“What I'm doing on a daily basis is allowing people to come in and see how they can live with pieces in their home that don't have to be all in the same landscapes ... or don't have to be all in the same genre,” Martinez said. “So many times, I think art is something that we don't necessarily learn how to live with or make a part of our life; it's something that can be overlooked.”
The gallery sells the artwork of various artists from throughout the country. It also hosts receptions and shows once an artist creates a new collection of work.
Martinez and her husband, Geraldo Martinez, have upward of 50 artists showcased throughout the gallery, which she said is one of the most rewarding aspects of running the gallery in addition to the connections she makes with those that walk inside.
“I'm a people person when I'm at work. Just talking to people, if you open yourself up and greet them with a smile, it's amazing what you can learn,” she said.
Hours: Tue.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Mon. by appointment only
512-312-9665
https://assemblageccg.com
