Why Nicole Royse Is Opening Her Own Art Gallery in Scottsdale

Nicole Royse, a Chandler-based artist and curator, is opening an art gallery in Scottsdale. Royse Contemporary is located at 7077 Main Street, suite 6.

Royse has been a staple of the Phoenix arts scene for several years. She hold a bachelor of arts degree in art history from Arizona State University.

"Starting a gallery has always been on my bucket list," Royse says.

She worked at Roosevelt Row gallery monOrchid from December 2012 to December 2016. Royse has curated shows at several additional art venues – including Willo North Gallery, which closed in 2015, and Chartreuse.

"There's not a lot left anymore," she says of the downtown Phoenix gallery scene.

Royse expects to officially open Royse Contemporary in September with a group show. She's currently finessing details like the opening date and artist lineup for that first exhibition. It's likely the gallery will be open Wednesday through Saturday, she says. But she's still working out all those fine points.

Royse Contemporary will open in a single-story complex called Marshall Square, located on the south side of Main Street just west of Marshall Way. The gallery has 600 square feet. Royse is working now on cosmetic fixes like painting, patching, and lighting.

"I started looking at spaces in Phoenix and Scottsdale about six months ago, and this feels like a good fit," Royse says. "It's a strong community, and there's good foot traffic."

But Royse sees another plus. "It's near major museums, retail, and restaurants."

Marshall Square is centrally located in Old Town Scottsdale, where Thursday night art walks have taken place for four decades. The complex also includes Tilt Gallery and Lotus Contemporary Art.

Melanie and Michelle Craven moved Tilt Gallery from Grand Avenue to Marshall Square in 2014. Denise Fleisch moved Lotus Contemporary Art from Roosevelt Row to Marshall Square in 2016, after losing her space to a new development called The Blocks of Roosevelt Row.

Previously, Lotus was located inside Suite 6, where Royse is opening her new gallery. But Fleisch moved to another suite in May, which opened the space.

"It's a small, intimate space, which makes it a good starter gallery," Royse says.

She plans to present a new exhibition every two weeks, with work by artists in and beyond Arizona. She doesn't plan to show her own artwork.

In addition to running her own gallery, Royse will represent Arizona artists Charmagne Coe and Daniel Shepherd, as well as Texas-based artist Angel Cabrales. And she'll continue to curate exhibitions in other galleries — including Chartreuse, Grand ArtHaus, and Walter Art Gallery.

Royse hopes her new venture will fuel greater connectivity between the Scottsdale and Phoenix art scenes. "I hope it brings people together and gets the art community excited about trying new things."