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Texas-bound owner sells Gallery at Flat Rock

Phil and Julie Wilmot bought The Gallery at Flat Rock from founder Suzanne Camarata.

By Lightning Reports, Published: May 18, 2024

Suzanne Camarata, owner and proprietor of The Gallery at Flat Rock, has sold the business and is relocating to her hometown of Dallas to be close to her aging parents and other family members.

The new owners, effective June 1, are Julie and Phil Wilmot, who also own Art on 7th in the Historic Seventh Avenue District.

“When Suzanne came to us proposing we take on the gallery, we understood the power of her conviction to return home to Texas,” Julie Wilmot said. “The fact that she has entrusted us with the task of carrying on what she has worked tirelessly to accomplish is quite humbling.”

Since it opened in 2015 Flat Rock Square in the space that once served as the cafeteria of the old Flat Rock High School, The Gallery at Flat Rock has become a well-loved venue for viewing local and regional artists’ work. The gallery has hosted the popular Art in Bloom exhibit annually since 2015 and is the site of regularly changing exhibitions and community-oriented events.

“It is with a heavy heart that I close the door on this chapter in my life,” Camarata said. “Yet I am so pleased that Julie and Phil will be the stewards for the gallery in this next chapter. They are such soulful advocates of the arts, and I’m confident that they’ll continue the gallery’s tradition of working with artists to create a vibrant local art scene that can be enjoyed by our entire community.”

Julie Wilmot adds that it was an easy decision to step up to honor and continue Camarata’s legacy and “her invaluable contribution to this community.” The couple's Art on 7th gallery showcases contemporary art in a variety of mediums.

“Phil and I have no intention of changing anything about The Gallery at Flat Rock,” Julie said. “We are deeply committed to her artists, collectors, and this community, and steadfastly pledge to sustain what has been her steady vision these past years.”