Java.April.2017

Photo: Mello Jello
of what might be swirling around inside Vetter’s
head. Contrary to the stereotype of a person with
such an extensive resume and library, Vetter isn’t
your typical stuffy, tweed-wearing academic or
snooty hipster philosopher. He’s a young, semishaggy,
approachable guy in a T-shirt and jeans, with
a crystal-clear way of communicating that generates
comfortable and open conversations. He has a way of
explaining very complex philosophical ideas in a way
that is accessible to the average Joe.
As a gallerist, curator, instructor, author, critic
and artist working to put Arizona on the map for
contemporary art, one might expect to find a frazzled
mover-and-shaker type, complaining about how
chaotic his day was. Instead, when I stepped into his
well-organized office, Vetter was calmly stationed at
his computer, responding to an email from an MFA
student with a pressing art-related issue. Vetter truly
cares about his students, and I watched as he took
the time to delicately defuse the situation. After
hitting send, he swiveled toward me in his chair,
became fully present and began to tell me about
his understanding of the art scene here and how he
plans to use his experience to help move it forward.
Vetter has strategically positioned himself in city
planning meetings for arts district programs in
Phoenix and Tempe. His non-profit gallery, Tempe Fine
Art Complex (FAC), where he exhibits cutting-edge
and sometimes controversial work, is located near
the university and is about a 15-minute freeway drive
from downtown Phoenix. Finding a location that could
bridge the gap between the art centers was a smart
move, allowing him to keep a bead on both cities.
While the downtown Phoenix scene is having some
growing pains, Tempe is not far off from having a
thriving art walk of its own. Grant pulled his monitor
around to show me a map of Tempe highlighting
where the art centers, shops and alternative spaces
are, as well as where the potential art collectors
work and reside. “We are going to have a highly
concentrated metropolitan area in Tempe where
people live and work within a two-block radius,
making this a very powerful art walk,” Vetter says
with an approving nod.
This isn’t Vetter’s first rodeo. He was on the art walk
planning committees for Long Beach, Santa Ana, and
downtown L.A. He has heard all of the strategies
and knows what works. “It’s fun to have ideas, but it
all comes down to who is going to put in the hours
and the feet on the ground,” he says. Vetter puts
his money where his mouth is by hopping on his
bike and physically knocking on doors, zeroing in on
possible investors, venues, start-up companies and
art collectors, dispersing information and invitations
to art events, and creating a buzz on the street as
well as online.
One of Vetter’s major crusades is to encourage local
art organizations to use better and more professional
images and to make the information on their web
pages more easily accessible and, most importantly,
up to date. When Vetter is not hosting his own events
or attending committee meetings, you will find him
at art openings showing his support for the artists
and venues. He also writes critical essays about local
artists’ work and exhibitions for The Arts Beacon, a
website dedicated to Arizona art.
Currently Phoenix isn’t known for contemporary art,
and Vetter says that needs to change. “When you
bring up other cities in the region, like Santa Fe,
Dallas and Las Vegas, they are known for something
related to contemporary art. Santa Fe is known for
seminal artists, like Agnes Martin, who’ve retired
there, and Dallas is up and coming for abstract
paintings and the wealth of its collectors. Las Vegas
is known partially because art critic Dave Hickey
valorized and capitalized on the day-glo painting
of artists like Tim Bavington and Yek, creating a
sense of regionalism. When you get to Arizona, the
10 JAVA
MAGAZINE