The Ames Gallery was established in Berkeley, California in 1970 in the back room of a popular crafts shop.

In the spring of 1971, the Gallery moved "temporarily" to its present residential setting at the base of the Berkeley hills.

Initially exhibiting the work of academically trained artists, the Gallery soon began a shift toward folk art and the works of self-taught, naïve, intuitive, art brut, and visionary artists. The Ames Gallery is now the West Coast’s only gallery to feature contemporary self-taught and outsider art as well as antique Americana folk art. During its long history, the Gallery produced many innovative shows and, most notably, introduced outsider art to Californians.

The Gallery has two primary goals. One is to offer unique and highly desirable handmade and homemade American folk art, the relics of our heritage.

The other goal is to exhibit the paintings, drawings, and sculpture of contemporary self-taught, naïve, visionary, and outsider artists, mostly from California. We have succeeded in introducing many previously unknown (California) artists, notably A.G. Rizzoli, Dwight Mackintosh, Alex Maldonado, and Barry Simons, who now have substantial followings, enjoying national, and in some cases, international recognition.

Should you be in our vicinity (or planning a trip to the San Francisco Bay Area) we would welcome your visit. The Ames Gallery is residential, and our staff is small, but we are generally here during the week from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. It is always a good idea to call ahead to make sure that some one will be at the gallery to greet you. We are happy to make appointments for evenings and weekends as well.
Bonnie Grossman
Director
About Bonnie Grossman

In addition to founding The Ames Gallery, Bonnie Grossman has served on museum boards and advisory committees, curated public art exhibitions, and lectured widely.

She has been executive producer or co-director/ producer of nine television programs on California artists and has served as consultant for a TV series on antiques and collectibles. Many items from the gallery inventory and the Grossmans' private collection have been featured on film and television.

Bonnie Grossman has written for and been interviewed in numerous publications.

A founding member of Bay Area (now California) Lawyers for the Arts, Grossman has lived in Berkeley since 1965.