The Life in Business: Showcase Gallery
Emily Gualtieri and Gary Brown, fine artists and owners of Showcase Gallery in South Kona, moved to Hawai‘i in 1989 and sold their silver and niobium jewelry at local art and craft shows and galleries around the state.
Emily descends from a long line of Northern Italian artisans, and is a fine jewelry craftsman. She was recently certified as a Level One Instructor in Art Clay Silver.
Gary has a passion for building ship models. His love of the ocean and many years at sea is reflected in his highly detailed, museum-quality sailing ship models. He also makes furniture, jewelry boxes and small wood products as well as silver and koa jewelry and folding knives.
In 2001, they opened their first gallery, Eternal Wave Gallery, in Kainaliu. In 2004, they acquired Showcase Gallery in Keauhou, and renamed the Kainaliu gallery as Showcase Gallery. It remained the main gallery, with almost 1800 sq. ft. of display area, at its location at 79-7407 Mamalahoa Hwy (Hwy. 11), on the mauka side, across from Just Ukes and Kimura’s in Kainaliu.
“We’ve always loved Kainaliu,” Emily said, “with its mellow atmosphere, friendly people, and close-knit community filled with many wonderful small shops and restaurants.”
In Spring of 2009, the couple closed the Keauhou gallery and consolidated in the Kainaliu location.
Showcase Gallery strives to maintain a good relationship with the artists and artisans they represent. “We understand and appreciate the challenges of being an artist/craftsman, and gratefully acknowledge them. They are part of our extended family,” says Emily.
More than 90 percent of the work in the gallery is made on the Big Island. They offer a selection of hand made pottery, jewelry, woodwork (including boxes, bowls and furniture), art glass, metal petroglyph and sea life sculptures, photographs, original painting and prints. “We still produce a lot of the work found in the gallery, sold under the trade name “Eternal Wave Designs,” Emily said. “This fall, we plan to add a selection of materials for jewelry artists, including beads, findings, metal clay and fused glass supplies. We will also be offering art and craft classes in the gallery.”
For more information, call 808.322.3203. Email: ShowcaseGallery@hotmail.com. Website: www.ShowcaseGalleryHawaii.com
