Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, April 8, 1990                   TAG: 9004060424
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV11   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: KATHIE DICKENSON SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: BLACKBSURG                                LENGTH: Medium

FRENCH GALLERY DIRECTOR BRINGS ART OF WORLD TO BLACKSBURG

Dammron's concept of his gallery is unique in Blacksburg, he says, in that he plans to offer work not only from outside this area but from outside the country.

Although he is showing the work of such local artists as Carol Hoge, Steve Bickley and Maryann Harman, he also has a collection of African masks and work from a San Francisco artist.

He is arranging to bring in work from Moscow, Madagascar, Italy and France.

Dammron sees his venture as strictly a trial. "I don't know the market here. I'll try it for a year, and then we'll see."

Unlike other Blacksburg galleries, his does not depend on framing for income. His depends strictly on art sales, which is perhaps a risky venture.

Dammron is philosophical about it.

"I want to run this gallery like a big-city gallery - like those in Paris and New York," he said. "I don't expect many walk-in customers, and I expect very few walk-in sales."

Those who do walk in are "mostly people who have heard about the gallery from someone else. Unfortunately, many people won't come into a gallery on their own because they are afraid.

"They think that they don't know enough about art and that they will look stupid. But really you don't need any special training to appreciate art; you just need to have an eye and to know what you like."

It is interesting, he said, to hear what people have to say when they visit the gallery.

Some people talk a lot about art and intellectual matters but seldom buy anything. "The ones who are most likely to buy," Dammron has found, "are the ones who are very quiet and just look until they see something they like."

Dammron plans to use the space in the gallery to promote other art forms besides visual art. For example, he envisions having stand-up comedy or musical performances there "later on, after I'm better established."

Before moving to Blacksburg with his wife, who teaches French at Virginia Tech, Dammron was an artist. And he identifies well with the people whose work he displays. In his native Paris, he also played on the stage, having trained at the Jacques Lecoq school of mime and theater.

Call Art International at 951-1677 for gallery hours or to schedule an appointment.

The gallery is at 1702 S. Main St.