Metro Galleries is one of the Valley’s most dynamic galleries. The Gallery is located in the burgeoning Arts District of Downtown Bakersfield. Metro Galleries has a reputation for exhibiting paintings, sculpture, pottery, and mixed media works with contemporary realism and figurative influences. The Gallery exclusively represents 25 highly refined, emerging, mid career and established artists who are predominantly from California and the west coast.
Not many places can revolutionize a cultural change, but Metro Galleries in downtown Bakersfield has managed to do so. Since opening its doors in 2006, Metro Galleries has introduced Bakersfield to emerging and established modern artists of all mediums. Through the entrepreneurial spirit of gallery owner and local arts and culture champion, Don Martin, Metro Galleries has brought many local artists to the spotlight such as Johnny Ramos, Barbara Reid and Susan Reep. Metro Galleries also represents nationally acclaimed artists.
Metro Galleries has given art enthusiasts a wide collection of fine art, but it has also given the city a focal point for social networking and friendly gatherings. One of the galleries major accomplishments has been becoming the focal point of downtown’s First Friday’s, an artesian and boutique shopping extravaganza. Metro Galleries is also a venue for socialization and events.
Metro Galleries continues to develop as the premiere space for fine contemporary art in the Southern San Joaquin Valley. The galleries popularity is branching throughout the California art scene as Martin continues to showcase emerging and contemporary modern artists. Currently, Metro Galleries represents nationally acclaimed artists Laddie John Dill, Keith Wicks, Dennis Ziemienski, Bonnie Hineline-Kempner, Tina Bluefield and Mary-Austin Klein.
The gallery originally opened in a much smaller space in February 2006. Metro Galleries has since moved locations, allocating two levels for showcasing art and renting the space for special events. The beauty of the art speaks for itself, and so does the beauty of Don Martin’s personal investment in his represented artists and the passions of his clients.
“I try and develop a relationship with my clients. I find out what they like – colors, styles, etc,” Martin says. “When I discover a piece that a certain person may like I call them in and have them take a look. Above all I want them to be happy with a piece, so hopefully it will be a life long source of enjoyment. I’ve also been known to trek out to a client’s house with four or five pieces and hang them! Whatever it takes! I’ve found by creating these relationships, many of my clients have become personal friends and return time and time again to my gallery.”
Don Martin – Creative Director
Truly a champion for growth and development in the emerging Arts District of downtown Bakersfield, Don Marin has made a strong name for himself. From the creation of the well-attended First Friday, artesian and boutique shopping-extravaganza to the keen-eye for modern art that speaks to the masses, Martin’s passion and unrivaled dedication is like no other in Bakersfield.
Martin is an avid runner and runs two to three major races each year. He was born in Los Angeles and moved to Bakersfield during his high school education. He has dedicated his career and his downtime to beautifying and reshaping the culture in Bakersfield; one that appreciates and desires quality art and entertainment. Although Martin has always appreciated fine art himself, it wasn’t the path his life first started down. Nominated for two Emmy Awards and working in television news as an on-air reporter, producer and as Design and Marketing Director for the local CBS, ABC and FOX affiliates for ten years, Martin found myself working 60 or more hours a week and no longer feeling satisfied.
He then decided that the community needed and was ready for an upscale contemporary art gallery. He worked as a Gallery Director of C.L. Clark Galleries previously and also co-owned a small art gallery in the mid ‘90s in Bakersfield. Having opened Metro Galleries in 2006, Martin has given Bakersfield’s arts scene a taste of modern sophistication that larger metropolitans are well known for.
Martin has served on the boards of the Fox Foundation, Friends of Bakersfield’s AIDS Project, and the Arts Council of Kern. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Bakersfield’s Downtown Business Association. He created and organizes Bakersfield’s First Friday art and boutique shopping experience in downtown Bakersfield. Most recently, First Friday has added local concerts in the newly renovated, Wall Street Alley, an iconic landmark in downtown Bakersfield.
Image copyright Felix Adamo/The Bakersfield Californian
Awards and recognition
Beautiful Bakersfield Award 2010 (arts/individual)
Don Martin: Owner of Metro Galleries and avid champion for reviving the downtown business climate and Arts District, Don Martin has been a galvanizing force behind the thriving “First Friday” events that draw people back to the downtown area to socialize, shop and appreciate the beauty of our city.
Metro Galleries on Google maps
