Royse is a Chandler-based artist who joined the monOrchid staff in December 2012. She currently manages Shade Gallery and Bokeh Gallery located inside monOrchid, the multiuse venue owned by photographer Wayne Rainey.
During First Friday on December 3, Royse hosted opening receptions for the final exhibitions she curated for monOrchid, which feature photography by Marilyn Szabo and sculpture by Constance McBride. Royse will stay on until the December exhibitions close, according to her Facebook post.
Here’s a portion of that post:
I am honored and proud of the work I have done and the reputation I have helped to build for the galleries, the monOrchid and the numerous artists here in Phoenix. It has been a great journey with monOrchid and I thank Wayne Rainey for the opportunity to curate these last few years and be apart (sic) of the monOrchid family.
Rainey’s comment on Royse’s December 3 post includes the following:
There is really no way to quantify the positive impact you’ve made on Phoenix and it’s (sic) artists and the arts scene but it is massive. It would be impossible to replace you so we will just try to make a new way and hope we make you proud.
Royse’s first curatorial project at monOrchid was a March 2014 exhibition titled “Apache X: 10 Years of Douglas Miles and Apache Skateboards.” While at monOrchid, she has curated dozens of solo and group exhibitions of work by artists including Kristin Bauer, Mimi Jardin, Beth Ames Swartz, Mary Shindell, Jeff Slim, and Fred Tieken.
Royse is well-known on the local arts scene, where her abstract acrylic paintings have been shown at venues including Vision Gallery and the Arizona Science Center. Royse curated several exhibitions for Willo North Gallery, which closed in 2015, and has written about the arts for several local publications.
Although Royse hasn’t announced details about her future plans, her post included a nod toward what's next. She wrote, "I will continue my journey in the arts, pursuing new opportunities where I will work closer with artists, galleries and museums to better aide our arts community."
