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The Grand Hand Gallery was opened in August, 2004 by owner Ann Ruhr Pifer as the Twin Cities only gallery of fine American craft. The gallery carries the work of artists and craftspeople from across the country, with a particular emphasis on those from the Upper Midwest.

The Grand Hand is located at the East end of St. Paul’s historic Grand Avenue, just one half mile from the heart of downtown St. Paul. Grand Avenue is home to an eclectic assortment of retail stores, restaurants and specialty shops, and is surrounded by the Crocus Hill, Summit Hill and Ramsey Hill neighborhoods of grand turn-of-the-century Victorian homes.

The gallery represents artists in a wide variety of media, including clay, wood, glass, metal, fiber and jewelry. Approximately eight times per year, the gallery highlights the work of one or two artists in a special exhibition. All of the work in these shows is for sale in the gallery. Although we do not currently sell over the internet, we welcome inquiries regarding the work of the gallery artists, and can send photos and prices via e-mail upon request, and we ship items anywhere in the continental U.S.

Owner Ann Ruhr Pifer opened the gallery on the basis of her love for high quality fine craft. The artwork featured in the gallery reflects Ann’s particular affinity for work that conveys a strong sense of authenticity – that shows “the hand of the artist” at work; the processes used to create each piece; and frequently the influence of the particular time or place in which the artist was working.

The collection at the Grand Hand is constantly changing and evolving, so please stop by to see what is new!

Most of our store fixtures at The Grand Hand Gallery are made for us from reclaimed and recycled materials by a wonderful company called EcoWood, based in Mount Shasta, CA.  Don at EcoWood tells us that he built many of the pieces in The Grand Hand from huge Douglas fir beams reclaimed from buildings that were torn down at the Alameda Naval Air Force Base; the rungs on our ladders that are used to display fiber art are actually canoe paddle handles --  rejects from a canoe paddle manufacturer in California.  We like the idea that this beautiful old wood has "retired" here to display handcrafted work by American artisans.  For more information on EcoWood and their products, click on the link above or in the left-hand column.
 
Many of our artists, customers and friends have enjoyed the live jazz and blues music by Johnny Smith at our gallery events.  For more information, and to order Johnny's new recording of jazz standards,  "San Francisco Bay Jazz,"click on the link above or in the left-hand column.