Peggy
Lanning
Art Gallery Owner
Originally
from the small town of Long Beach, Mississippi, Peggy Lanning
began her long-standing career as a renowned art gallery owner
by selling Native American jewelry from the trunk of her car.
Today, she is a successful female entrepreneur – the
owner of two prominent galleries in Sedona, Arizona, surrounded
by the breathtaking red rocks of this distinctive arts colony.
After
her youngest child went off to kindergarten Lanning set up
a jewelry counter within a friend’s shop in southern
Arizona, within a few years opening her own space called Turquoise
Tortoise. When the northern Arizona arts colony of Sedona planned
an exclusive new gallery center, Lanning secured herself a
voice as the smallest investor of thirty and moved the gallery
to its current location in Hozho Center. The Turquoise Tortoise
Gallery, now
36-years-old, continues its tradition of representing top Native
American artists.
When
the work of distinguished artist Alfred Rogoway came to Lanning’s
attention she felt determined to accommodate the many fine
artists who happen not to be Native American. Within the year Lanning
Gallery, now 21-years-old had opened across the hall;
its reputation as the finest classic and contemporary gallery
in Sedona is irrefutable.
A philosophy
Peggy Lanning has always believed is, “You have to crawl
before you can walk and walk before you can run.”
In 2007, Lanning received the Visionary Award from the National
Association of Women Business Owners' (NAWBO-Sedona) Third Annual
Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards. As a founding member of the Sedona
Gallery Association and having sat on the board of Sedona's
Chamber of Commerce and Focus Future for Sedona, Lanning
has helped determine the direction of this one-of-a-kind arts
colony.