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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 three 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.
Lanning’s third
gallery,
Turquoise Tortoise Contemporary, opened several
years ago to represent Sedona’s southwestern flavor. 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.
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