About Us

David Racich created Emerson Art Gallery for the community and is present throughout all of Palisades Business Center. David named Emerson Art Gallery after his daughter, Emerson Grace, and opened this space to the artistic community to help artists best showcase their talent at a local level. The gallery takes no commission or fees when pieces are sold. Again with no charge, he allows the community to come together for gallery events and even hosts a regular concert series “Jazz in the Hills” during the winter. 

About Our Team

Senior Art Curators: Summer Ranft and Amanda Atkison

About Summer (Right):

1. What keeps you motivated day-to-day? My family and determination to succeed in anything I do keeps me very motivated to get up every day and make the best of it.

2. What is your biggest professional or personal accomplishment?My biggest personal accomplishment is staying in college after an accident that left me with pins in my arm. The only thing that changed was my major and a bigger determination to not give up.

3. If you could spend a day in another position in our organization, what would it be and why? I would not change my position even for a day. Right now I get to talk with our agents everyday, greet everyone coming into the building as well as manage to keep the building and everything in it working. Some may say that it is boring but it is very satisfying at the end of the day when you look back on everything you've done that day.

4. What did you want to be when you were little? Like most little girls I wanted to be a veterinarian when I was a little.

5. What is the most daring thing you've ever done? I've done a lot of daring things including BMX racing, bronco riding, and racing quads and a lot more. My philosophy is that if it scares you then you are doing something right.

About Amanda (Left):

1. What keeps you motivated day-to-day? I am not sure it is really anything specific. I have just made up my mind that I will make the best of each day and find the good in every situation. So far, I have found that the more you anticipate things to go your way, the more they do.

2. What is your biggest professional or personal accomplishment? I think my biggest personal accomplishment was a few years back when I walked 35 miles in a 9-hour span of time at a Relay for Life event at NAU. It was pretty challenging, yet oddly satisfying.

3. If you could spend a day in another position in our organization, what would it be and why? I think it would be pretty fun to be Summer for a day. Managing the building, food, meetings, people, AND commissions. However, I am sure I would be glad to give it back.

4. What did you want to be when you were little? Honestly, I wanted to be a polar bear trainer. My parents tried to tell me that no such thing exists since polar bears are dangerous animals to work with, however, I had made up my mind and no one was going to stop me.

5. What is the most daring thing you've ever done? I thought it was daring when I moved across the country (to Florida) by myself without knowing anyone. This was to pursue a dream I had to work at the The Most Magical Place On Earth.

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