Yanna Lantz with artwork by Anna Skibska.
156
svpn-mag.com
YANNA LANTZ TAKES THE HELM OF FRIESEN+LANTZ FINE ART Gallery legacy is honored for the future.
The impressive fine art that adorns the walls of Friesen+Lantz Fine Art, formerly Friesen Gallery, is not the only glow and sparkle to this well-known Ketchum art gallery. A beaming new owner, Yanna Lantz, has taken over the gallery from being its former director. As Yanna debuts her new business, with much delight to art lovers, artists, and art enthusiasts, the gallery’s supportive staff remains the same but at the dawn of a new era for Friesen+Lantz. “The transition has been smooth, and I could not be happier,” says Yanna. “I chose the name Friesen+Lantz to honor the Friesen Gallery legacy and to bring that legacy into the future with my own flair. In continuing support, Andria Friesen is a mentor to me in my new leadership role.” Yanna’s rise to ownership has been in the works for the last four years, where she has learned everything about the business from the bottom up. From keeping the floor clean to installing art and working with clients and virtual installations to coordinating shipments across the country, and more, she has experienced every facet of the gallery. “I am now cultivating relationships with artists and museums but continue to do all the work that I have been
By Sabina Dana Plasse
doing because I was trained so methodically to step into this role,” says Yanna. “Fine art galleries and the art world can easily be intimidating. My goal is to make Friesen+Lantz accessible to all, especially to the younger generations.” Up for the challenge, Yanna embraces continuing the support and patronage of previous and present clients while cultivating a new generation of art collectors. “I’m not sure the younger generation understands what art can provide them,” she says. “Fine art is personal. It’s not something a machine spits out. It’s something that blood, sweat, and tears were poured into. There’s a story behind every artist and career represented at Friesen+ Lantz.” With the fast-paced evolution of fine art in the 21st century, most notably with the rise in popularity of NFTs non-fungible tokens, this digital asset is a modern-day collectible and fine art’s foray into the technology world. One can get lost very quickly in what is happening and in following this type of digital ownership. As NFTs become more mainstream, what does this mean for a brick-and-mortar gallery space? “There’s a great deal of instant gratification from many things that are ephemeral in today’s society,” says Yanna. “I think that’s why many people are always searching for something svpn-mag.com
PHOTO BY YELENA TSIOMA
157
Yanna Lantz with work by Mia Brownell.
all the time, but fine art is something that you live with,” she says. “You have a real relationship with it. However, NFTs are exciting. There’s more than one way to enjoy art, and NFTs can be an investment, not just financial but how you curate your online space. I am exploring the ability to launch an NFT division at Friesen+Lantz.” Welcoming a new frontier for art, friesenlantz.eth is registered on the blockchain, a platform for digital trading assets. “It is a baby steps towards being part of the ‘metaverse,’ the realized digital world. Eventually, we will all be a part of it. However, what NFTs are now will not necessarily be the same in five years, as the metaverse is still five to ten years in the making.” There is a great deal of learning to do, and curiosity abounds from artists, gallery owners, collectors, and anyone trying to understand what digital art means and how its value will exist. “Art enriches lives,” says Yanna. “It’s a fine line to tow, 158
svpn-mag.com
but we have to do everything we are already doing and embrace what’s to come.” ABOUT YANNA LANTZ
Yanna moved to the Wood River Valley from Los Angeles in 2014 for healing. As someone who suffers from an autoimmune disease, Crohn’s Disease, she recalls that time as the worst she had ever experienced. Ketchum was well-suited for Yanna, who wanted an artistic and closeknit community surrounded by nature. “My fiancé, Brett, was working for St. Thomas Playhouse, so I joined him and worked on costumes and sound for the production of South Paci ic,” says Yanna. “I fell in love with the community, the area, and didn’t want to leave.” Once relocated to the Wood River Valley, Yanna and Brett helped co-found the black-box theater, The Spot, in September PHOTO BY YELENA TSIOMA
FINE ART | FRIESEN+LANTZ
Zoonotic Tonic by Mia Brownell. Oil on canvas, 30”x 36”. Featured at Friesen+Lantz.
“Fine art is personal. It’s not something a machine spits out. It’s something that blood, sweat, and tears were poured into. There’s a story behind every artist and career represented at Friesen+Lantz.” — Yanna Lantz
2014. “I was trained in theater, and there are so many parallels between theater and the fine art world, telling a story, setting the atmosphere, lighting… but now the artist and their work are the stars,” she says. “My job is to tell their stories, and in my new position as a director and owner, it is also my job to make sure everyone is doing their best job in their roles. So, it’s a collaboration much like theater.” MIA BROWNELL’S ZOONOTIC TONIC
For March 2022, Friesen+Lantz Fine Art presents the work of Mia Brownell in her new show, Zoonotic Tonic. A reaction to what is happening in our food systems and consumption, Brownell offers a body of work that addresses science and food questions. Suspect food markets that may start zoonotic pandemics, drug and vaccine development, and new research into bio-
hacking photosynthesis in leaves are recent considerations in Brownell’s investigation to reexamine and re-envision the traditions of the painted food still life as a faithful representation of nature. Mia Brownell has a special meaning for Yanna as her work is centered around food and science. “I am hyper-conscious about food because of having Crohn’s Disease. However, the message in her work is compelling, and it doesn’t apply to people just with diseases. It’s about all of us. What we eat is what we are going to become. Plus, Brownell’s still lifes are beyond stunning. Her use of light, detail, and form is a healing tonic for these strange times and the present zoonotic pandemic.” As a society, there are important choices to make. Will we continue to lay waste to ourselves and our planet, or instead create meaningful change? Brownell’s gorgeous and incredibly detailed paintings ask these vital questions. It’s up to the viewer to explore these queries in themselves and their surrounding world. “Friesen+Lantz Fine Art will continue to be extremely selective with its group of artists, and we want artists who are constantly pushing themselves and exploring what it means to be human in the 21st century because things are changing so rapidly,” says Yanna. “Art changes and saves lives, and it certainly saved me. Art survives, and it propels us forward. I am thrilled for this to be my next chapter.” Zoonotic Tonic New works by Mia Brownell March 11-April 9, 2022 320 1st Avenue | Ketchum 208.726.4174 friesenlantz.com svpn-mag.com
159