Co-op Keeps Doors Open, Spirit Alive : Art: Many Hands is something of an anomaly in the struggling gallery scene. Members credit its 1960s-style vision.

Many Hands Gallery is a survivor.

In a time when both crafts shops and galleries are struggling and even closing their doors, the downtown cooperative is going strong.

Even more remarkable, Many Hands has managed to keep alive its 1960s-style co-op vision through nearly 20 tumultuous years, including the darkest hours of the 1980s, the so-called “me decade.”

“When you think we’ve been around for 20 years, it’s some kind of miracle,” said Julie Brooke, a Scottish potter who joined the co-op in 1988.

The gallery, in a basement at 655 G St., has helped shape San Diego’s art history. In the past two decades, more than 500 artisans have been members; some have gone on to other galleries, some to work in fine arts, a few to great success and acclaim. The co-op today has about 30 members.

In her two decades with Many Hands, basket weaver Sue Kamin has met just about every artist who has come through its doors.

“There’s a real camaraderie here,” she said. “There’s something special when you get this many artists working together.”

Kamin joined Many Hands several months after it opened at its original University Avenue location. She remembers one of the gallery’s worst times: in 1988, when fire destroyed the co-op’s store, then on El Cajon Boulevard.

The loss led to the move downtown, where the shop manages to look friendly and light despite being below street level. Because the crafts sell quickly and artists are always adding to the stock, the supply of pottery, weaving, jewelry, glass, wood and baskets seems to change from week to week.

Kamin insists the co-op shies away from typical “church bazaar” crafts, such as crocheted potholders and clothespin dolls, although some items come close. For the most part, work is done by talented artisans, she said.

Although the shop has been struggling with the economic slump that is affecting most galleries, Kamin believes Many Hands’ co-op spirit will keep it alive.

“We think of Many Hands as our store, so when we do something well, we think of it as being good for everyone--for the many hands of our members,” Kamin said.

Works by every member are displayed in the shop. In exchange, each member must work there 17 hours a month and pay a monthly dues of $35. The co-op keeps 15% of sales. A review committee judges new work for acceptance and members meet monthly to make decisions.

For many artists, those are easy terms in order to have work on display full time in a gallery. “Many Hands is like having your own retail shop, but you don’t have to be there all the time,” Robert Santolucito said.

Santolucito learned from experience. He co-owned a crafts store in Encinitas for four years, but finally wearied of the long hours and lack of time for his glass art. When his partner was offered a lucrative opportunity, he closed the store. Six months ago he joined Many Hands.

“With my store, I had reached a point where I was so busy I lost my creative time,” he said. “Many Hands frees me up.”

Potter Lynn Kleinman Wolsey agrees. “The gallery allowed me to stay home with my family. Not many jobs offer that,” she said.

Like Kamin, Wolsey joined during the co-op’s first few months. She claims Many Hands’ spirit and support of all artists enriches San Diego’s arts community.

“If your work is good and shows potential, we will accept and nurture you until you are a great potter or jeweler or weaver,” she said. “I don’t know of any other gallery that will do that.”

Former member Jon Barnes said Many Hands was a place to find support for his metal sculpture. “The group was very supportive of me although I was more of a fine-arts person. It was a tremendous experience for me,” he said.

Through the group he met another former member, Rosemarie Davis. The two collaborate on pieces using Davis’ stained glass and Barnes’ metal sculpture. Barnes said their success and his own confidence as a mixed-media artist was helped along by Many Hands.

Members praise the direct contact they receive from the public.

“There’s a revival of appreciation for American hand-made things, and people want to buy direct from the craftsperson,” Wolsey said. “For the artist, it’s an excellent place to test the market.”

New member Ashabi Blair tested the market with her large photographs but found business slow. So she tried photographic greeting cards and says she has found a successful niche.

“I took a real business approach; this was a good opportunity for me to see what would sell so I could finance the larger prints I want to do,” she said.

A former family practice physician, Blair turned to photography after a long illness forced her to leave medicine. She joined Many Hands three months ago to find support and artistic guidance.

“I’m really happy about the kind of contacts I make with people who tell me what they’ve learned, “ she said.

Potter Brooke is also pleased with the exposure she’s received, from newspaper articles to acceptance of her work in other galleries to a tentative plan for an exchange program with potters in China.

But members admit the cooperative has its problems. With 30 people in charge, decisions are often made slowly. And at times, the co-op spirit has broken down under the demands of individual egos and temperaments.

But the gallery’s strength is its diversity. The group encompasses many ages, backgrounds and media. And somehow it works.

“Many Hands can be frustrating, but it’s really just good government,” Barnes said. “And the proof that it works is that Many Hands is a marvelous place, and it’s still there.”