Just visited Raku Gallery in Jerome, AZ! I was thoroughly impressed with the merchandise, including the Dennis Debon glass energy webs, which were incredible to see! The store also had some amazing jewelry, ceramics, and sculpture. Everything looks so amazing against the windows and a beautiful background. read more

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I was very impressed with the beautiful and functional artwork at Raku! They have some truly stunning pieces here, and the floor to ceiling windows provide a fantastic natural backdrop. Everything was pretty much out of my price range, although my parents have purchased some items here in the past. The people working were friendly and informative even though we were just "lookie-lous" Hands down, the best part of our visit here was the pottery demonstration out back. Pottery Guy was super talented and gave us a good explanation of what he was doing as he crafted a vase out of a lump of clay. In addition, he is a member of the Historical Society, so we got some local history as well. Raku is definitely worth a visit when you're in Jerome! read more

Some true my wonderful pieces in here. Love the glass work and the jewelry . Be sure to stop in and more the view out the back of the store window. I can always find earrings that speak to me here. Some are priced better than others. Very helpful owner. read more

I was not wearing a velvety black pantsuit, painfully obvious chunks of jewelry, blonde frosted grey hair in a ponytail, or cosmetically-enhanced body parts aged 40 or above. Therefore, I got about-faced. My party entered this "gallery" studded with "unique" "raku" and "art" - casually but smartly dressed - on a mission to find our friend's mother that perfect piece of jewelry as a gift. Despite wearing jeans and having a bag whose name was not Gucci, Coach, or Louis Vuitton, I (and everyone who I was with) could have afforded any piece of (overpriced) jewelry in their case. But as soon as we entered, the employee on the floor sized us right up - in a very obvious way - and literally snapped back around to focus on eyeing the aforementioned velvety frosty greys with (presumed) larger credit lines and (apparently) greater value as humans. Bitch about-faced us. And avoided all eye contact and greetings as we made a loop through the store, just to see if she would finally acknowledge us. Get the eff over yourselves. You exist in Jerome - not Florence, Italy. You are "artists" - I guess, not MacArthur Fellows. You have a highly inflated sense of self-worth, lost business over horrendous customer service, and gained one very honestly scathing review. Congratulations! read more

Despite the fact that the only souvenir I took away from my visit here were the scars from the potted barrel cactus cleverly positioned at the front entrance - I think they reach out and impale your calves with needles, if you don't buy anything - Raku is a place where I can dump a ton of money if I had no need for food, shelter, and gas money for the drive from Jerome back to whatever ghastly hole I had emerged from - a hole that is made that much worse without the benefit of being adorned by pieces purchased at this gallery. The stuff here ranges from hanging art in various media - giclee, acrylic, flower petals - to home furnishings in bronze, jewelry, blown glass, pieces of furniture and so on. All pieces are made by local artists, and the lady behind the counter is more than happy to explain the process of the more outstanding works of art. We found several wall hanging prints and pieces we loved, but alas - they lacked the necessary decimal point between the digits that would've made the purchase more palatable for us ($975 or $97.5 makes all the difference). The downstairs portion of the gallery contains - shall we say - objets d'art that your arthritic Aunt Agnes might adore - prints of cute little mice and otherwise nasty rodents you'd like to poison in real life and not objectify by putting them in bowties and hanging their likeness on the wall. Further towards the back is the glass studio, where the friendly, in-resident glass guy will give you a detailed "blow-by-blow" (pun intended) of the blown-glass art process. It was a nice, warm stop on a cooler Arizona day, but in the summer the heat might liquify eyebrows. The *basement* also contains bargain-priced pieces and a restroom. A perfectly nice stop before jamming back into our fuel-economy cars for the long drive back to our pitiful homes decorated with wagon wheel coffee tables and trimmed with rope. read more

On my most recent trip back to the A-Z, I thought it would be rather pleasant to go around to galleries and art stores with my folks, real bonding time, rather than Holiday yelling time. I had ulterior motives however - I'm scoping out sites to perhaps show my own work. So for an afternoon, we drove up to Jerome to do just that. Now, I certainly wasn't expecting hoity toity spaces like galleries in Chelsea, so my expectations were already low. Keep that in mind. Raku Gallery was a nice surprise. It was a breath of fresh air, actually. I was so completely sick and tired of seeing Southwestern art ala howling coyotes, Kokopelli doohickeys, reproductions of Native American ceramic vessels, wind chimes and sleeping cowboys. Ick. Raku had a few desert lizard pieces, but for the most part it was modern and very sleek considering the environment. 2 floors of art goodness and an eclectic taste at that, from furniture to wall art to jewelry to glass sculptures. And if you have a little extra time, you can go and sift through Seconds behind the gallery on your way to see the glass blowing demos by the owner hosted about every 30 minutes as requested. A beautiful, open space mirrors the gorgeous open view of the Verde Valley. As far as snubbing is concerned, perhaps the opinion of their gallery's importance is self-inflated, but with good reason. It's the best one in Jerome. Both owners took a look at my work and although in a round about way they said "no", it was a modestly polite "no" with great explanation. They paid me the time at least, which most galleries wouldn't I'd imagine. Chelsea would just laugh. read more

This gallery stood far above almost any other we stopped in in Jerome in terms of the quality of their art selection and the presentation thereof. We didn't buy anything because it was a bit rich for our tourist budget, but we saw a few things that we definitely could see looking great in a future home. I liked the two-story space and did not feel "snubbed" (even though I'm definitely not remotely wealthy) like a previous reviewer. At all. read more

The wife & I spent about 4 hours walking around Jerome looking at all (OK 93%) of the shops & galleries and this IMO was the best by far, the top floor has some of the more pricey items but also has the BEST view in town. Downstairs has some more modestly prices items, great pottery. It was mentioned to us while browsing that they have glass blowing demonstrations in the back from 12-5 "ish", we went and it was very interesting, Tracy the artist was very informative and seamed to enjoy doing the demonstrations, I would highly recommend going. read more

I agree with the previous post that said this place was a breath of fresh air. Here in San Diego where I am from we have a lot of nice galleries some good some not so great but I have to say even if this gallery were in San Diego it would even be one of the better ones. When we got there the weather had just cleared and the gallery only had one level open because Nancy was there all by herself. They had told their staff not to come in for the day because they had planned to stay closed due to the snow and rain. We got to meet both owners who both were very pleasant and incredibly knowledgeable about the artists in their gallery. I can see how someone might think they are full of themselves, but I don't think that is the case. The gallery they have built is gorgeous and hearing the history of all they had to do to get the place off the ground was amazing. I think more than anything they are proud of what they have created and with good reason. Both of them were very knowledgeable about their artists and despite the fact there was a very large sign saying no cameras, neither stopped me when I walked in with one. I did make sure it was obvious I had tucked it under my arm and I wouldn't be using it but they could have given me trouble about it and didn't which I really appreciated. Normally my parents and I don't buy much art. When you're an artist yourself it's hard enough trying to sell your own work without spending what little you have to buy from others. Nonetheless we were very impressed and spent way more there than I care to think of at the moment and came away with some truly fabulous art, and a very cool glass blowing demo downstairs. The only disappointment I had was not being able to get more information about their artists. I can understand why they don't keep business cards for each of their 200 artists but I was hoping when I went on their website I would be able to get more information, but found they don't even have the artist name listed when you pull up a piece of art on the site. As an artist I was a little taken aback when I saw this; after all artists' use galleries to sell art but also as promotional tools. If the gallery doesn't put your name on their site how are people going to learn who you are? I don't know maybe that is in the works, I know they told me the site was a work in progress so hopefully in the future... Something else worth mentioning was how much we liked the gallery being on two levels. It was very nice and actually it gave us a chance to rest our eyes while walking down to the bottom level so when we got there we were fresh and ready for more and the views from both levels were beautiful. Also I found some of the art, but not all was very well priced and for our modest budget we came out with a lot. I am most happy with our two glass ornaments we bought after the glass blowing demo from Mr. Weisel. read more

Jerome is an art gallery paradise if you enjoy smallish venues with local artists showing their wares. It is a welcome respite from the gaudiness of Sedona. Among all of these, Raku Gallery has the rotating collection that best matches my taste. When the owners/artist in residence are present, their enthusiasm for the creative life spills into their discussions with every browser, and is infectious. I purchased several small things there, mostly glass object d'art. Functional and beautiful. Every time I lift them to my lips, I appreciate their uniqueness, beauty and strength. The most permanent part of their collection is the rear glass wall with a stunning view of the Verde Valley. That is well worth the walk around the shop, although buying something is very appreciated. Don't miss it. read more

Excellent quality glasswork, metalwork, woodwork at prices that match the quality. If you want a bargain, this isn't the right place. If you want genuine art pieces this is the store for you. Friendly service. Unique handbags that I should have purchased and did not. Ah, regret. read more

I LOVE RAKU GALLERY IN JEROME, AZ 86331 I have been purchasing art here for at least 15 years. Every time I walk into the Gallery, which ever sales person who is on the floor not only greets me yet recognizes ME! They want to know how my life is, how my family is, what I have been up to, the list just goes on and on in regard to how well they value my presence. As far as I can tell, in all the years I have been visiting the staff is always the same: Absolutely no turn over. What an incredible accomplishment in this disposable world of ours. Also, when I am unable to physically visit the gallery, if I am searching for a specific or even not so specific type of art, all I have to do is contact Raku Gallery and they seem to have the ability to read my mind and find what I am looking for. Never have I met so friendly, kind, informative, accomplished staff who genuinely cares about my needs and wants. Plus, if I am seeking something they are not familar with (which rarely happens because they are all so knowledgeable and caring) they say so and proceed to do the research. The vast spectrum of Art which they show case is absolutely mind blowing. I am simply guessing, yet it seems they represent on any given day in the last 15 years at least 250 well known Southwestern artists. It is completely beyond my abilty to articulate how absolutely physically beautiful the gallery is. Every time I walk into Raku, I am speechless for at least the first half hours simply because I am overcome by all the beauty, inspiration, and exceptional art which greets me. Yet, I must say: it is the joy, the knowledge, the inspiration of the entire staff which keeps me coming back again, again and again. THANK YOU RAKU! I can't wait until I return! read more

This was a wonderful gallery! I purchased some earrings, and really enjoyed looking at the quality art and craft there.

Wide assortment of art, plus a fantastic view of red rocks, mountains and valley!

I recently visited Raku Gallery while doing the" touristy thing" in Jerome, AZ. I found the Gallery to have an abundance of commercial-ly appealing items at affordable,( but not inexpensive) pieces of art being offered by many, many local artists. The items ranged from wonderfully creative jewelry to absolutely magnificent pieces of furniture. The woman in attendance was very knowlegable of the works on display as well as the history or shall I say "provenance" of the gallery itself. It too was a work of art. Although I am physically disabled, I was compelled to make my way down to the lower gallery where the artist/owner Tracy Weisel was "throwing clay". Clearly this area is not wheel chair accessable, but I was determined and alas with a little assistance I was offered a chair so I could comfortably watch and listen as this very genteel man discussed his art and performed his magic. I told Tracy I was very interested in taking a course, for my own personal pleasure in pottery. He was so kind and so encouraging that I was moved to do what I had only thought about for the last few years. I immediately enrolled in the next brginners class at the Mesa Arts Center. Mr. Weisel is what I kindly describe as a "flower child of the seventies". although his art is anything but dated. Sure, there are some nostalgic pieces here and there, but for the most part I found his work to be very much todays inspiration. I bought two affordable pieces of pottery and as I began to leave, Tracy asked me to wait a moment, and so, I did. He left and returned with a bowl which he explained was his design and was not only very functional, it was also very beautiful. He pointed out the specifc design function of this piece and also told me it was in the "museum" on display. I was so taken back by how special his bowl was that I did not even think to ask what museum. He placed the bowl in my hand and said "keep it, it is a gift from me". What Mr. Weisel gave me was not the museum piece alone, but something I will cherish equally as much, and that is a memory of a wonderful afternoon in August atop a mountain sorrounded by Nature's beauty and the work of so many talented artists. I will always remember my visit with the" flower child of the seventies" who extended a hand of kindness, filled with his own creation, to a perfect stranger on a mountain top in Jerome, AZ. read more

A have been to this gallery twice. I have purchase one item in store and one through its website. Both times I was met and greeted, then allowed to browse. (I had on Levi's and Shirt nothing fancy) Both were Raku pottery, and in perfect condition. Unfortunately, that last time I was there many of the Raku pieces were in poor shape. By this I mean finger prints.( Most Raku glazes are damaged by the oils in your hands.) I came in to buy, but left disappointed. The sales person actually picked up a piece further damaging it to show me it's color. I wanted to say stop touching it, but instead I left frustrated. I guess I was surprised that since the name of the gallery is Raku they would know how to handle the pottery. I want to say they have many more beautiful items and it was just these particular items that gave me pause. read more

Spur of the moment decision had us started hunting for some artwork for our home. We were directed to Raku by another gallery owner, when we decided that we weren't into horses, but rather "southwest" art. We were dressed very casually, but greeted just as warmly as if we had been the upscale client that would purchase expensive artwork. Once we expressed interest in a certain artist's work, they went out of their way to show us all his pieces, moving items together so we could make our choice. read more