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FeedArtisan Atelier
By alyssa ford
Photo by ERIC MOORE
Grand Hand Gallery
After a 15-year commercial banking career in New York and Minneapolis, Ann Ruhr Pifer got the kind of job offer that was certain to catapult her into the banking big leagues. “But I was ambivalent about it,” she says. “It was plain that I wasn’t in love with my work anymore.” A long-time fine craft collector who has been known to drive to Two Harbors to buy an artisan-made wedding gift, Ruhr Pifer began to explore the idea of opening a gallery. After getting the blessing from the artists she knew she couldn’t do business without, she opened the diminutive Grand Hand Gallery in 2004 on St. Paul’s Grand Avenue. The shop showcases the work of some 100 Minnesota artists, plus another 100 from across the country. Glass artist Michael Tonder, metalworker Lisa Elias, and photographer Chris Felver are all represented. In May, Pifer made another bold move, taking over a larger space a few doors down. The new, 1,800-square-foot gallery offers a constantly changing mix of tabletop creations, wall hangings, and handmade furniture—all with a continued commitment to authenticity and “the hand of the artist.”
Photo by Eric Moore
FARM FAD
“Chicken” sculpture made from sheet steel and haymower knives by Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania artists Ben and Kate Gatski, $165
Photo by Eric Moore
ELEGANT STATEMENT
Oxidized silver, pearl, and 18- and 22-karat gold brooch, $350, with 22-karat gold post earrings with pearls, $240, both by Lincoln, Nebraska artist Sydney Lynch 
Photo by Eric Moore
FANCIFUL FIGURE
20-gage rusted steel indoor/outdoor sculpture “Stars & Moon” by Dubuque, Iowa artist Gail Chavenelle, $440.Grand Hand Gallery, 619 Grand Ave., St. Paul,
651-312-1122, www.thegrandhand.com
11 ISSUES (1 YEAR)
