WHO WE ARE

MYER S. REED, Ph.D.

Arizona Art at Work is the creation of Myer Reed. Myer has been collecting and dealing in art for thirty years and his own collection is broad so he is able to appreciate the diverse tastes of others.

His first professional career was as a professor of sociology - the science most concerned with human groups and relationships - and he extended this interest with a private practice in family therapy. In his spare time he nurtured a budding business in art and antiques. In 1996 he took an early retirement from his university career and brought this art and antiques business to Phoenix. After helping friends find art for their professional offices, Myer realized a widespread need for an art consultancy providing a high level of personalized service to busy professionals and entrepreneurs. AZ Art at Work was the result.

Myer’s undergraduate degree is from The College of William and Mary where his love of art history courses almost led him to major in art. His doctorate in sociology is from Tulane University and his post-doctoral training in family therapy was completed at Virginia Tech.

JAMIE KIRKLAND

AZ Art at Work relies on a number of professionals as consultants to aid in the selection of works and to keep abreast of the art market across the Southwest. Jamie has been a part of our team since the beginning. She’s a very successful landscape painter based in Santa Fe with gallery representation there, in Park City, Utah, and in Scottsdale. She is a BFA honors graduate from the University of Utah. Prior to her U of U training she had studied at Parsons School of Design and the Art Student League in NYC and since graduating has had on-going training with Connie Borup, Paul Davis, and David Dornan. In 2006 Jamie was named by Southwest Art Magazine as an “Artist to Watch.” www.kirklandart.com

RANDALL GAUGERT

Randy is another professional whose critical input is important to AZ Art at Work. His broad experience in home furnishings design and merchandizing has left him with a rarely found visual acuity we highly value. His career has included merchandising positions at Gabbert’s in Minneapolis and Bloomingdale’s in NYC. In 1987 he was named Bloomingdale’s Buyer of the Year. Two years later he became International Merchandise Manager for Habitat International in London. Randy returned to the US in the early nineties to be Vice President, Creative Services for Conran’s followed by his last corporate stint as Vice President and Merchandise Manager of Casegoods and Upholstery for Lane Furniture Company. Eventually corporate life became too confining for his spirits so he resigned from Lane and now runs his own company in Raleigh specializing in kitchen accessories. We highly value his taste and his talent at combining his artistic eye with great business sense.

JEFFREY JONES

Jeff is another artist who’s been involved with our company from it’s conception. After receiving his BFA from Middle Tennessee State University in 1979 he moved to Phoenix and spent twenty five years developing a successful career focused on commercial illustration. Many national and international corporations have utilized his art including AT&T, IBM, Toyota, Fedex, GM, 3M, British Airways, Kodak, Time-Warner, Alltel, Citibank, Anheuser-Busch, Miller Brewing, Met Life, and Cox Communications. His local accounts have included The Arizona Diamondbacks, America West Airlines, Copenhagen’s Furniture, The Phoenix Zoo and …. Arizona Art at Work. In 2003 he accepted an adjunct teaching position at the Art Institute of Phoenix and for two years benefited from the enthusiasm of students. As a result of this experience, Jeff moved his career toward art for art sake. He now directs most of his energy to creating through a variety of mediums, often mixing printmaking with painting and drawing. In 2006 he was awarded “Best of Show” at the Phoenix Art Center and in 2007 was one of four participants at an exhibition there of emerging Phoenix artists. His other recent exhibits have been in the Sedona Arts Center, the Herberger Theater, and a two person show in Flagstaff. Jeff consults with Arizona Art at Work providing technical assistance and lending his trusted eye in reviewing and selecting works by other artists.