The Golden Gallery

12/09/2022

Mary Ellen’s Lady Moon is a big favorite here at the shop. How many moon paintings do think Mary Ellen has done?

12/08/2022

One of the many benefits of throwing a little celebration every five years or so is that it encourages us to really crank up our productivity so we have lots of artwork on the walls when our friends come to visit. This past celebration meant we got one of John’s Masonboro No.1 36“ x 36“ art boxes on the wall for the first time since 2018. If past is prologue, it won’t be here long. Come see us this holiday season and see everything we’ve added to the shop.

12/07/2022

Here's a little bit of history on the gallery and the 5 locations we have occupied during our 45 years in the Cotton Exchange!

12/04/2022

Thanks to everyone who came out to our 45th anniversary party yesterday! So good to see dear friends and family. This kicks off a year of celebration in which we will share bits of history and bits of the future for the Golden Gallery. We encourage each and everyone of you to come support downtown this holiday season and we hope we get a chance to see you!

12/03/2022

Getting ready to fill these with goodies for our 45th anniversary celebration, 3 PM to 5 PM today!

12/03/2022

So here’s what are a couple of the many things that are so great about being a downtown business for 45 years: You meet great people, and in our case, many of the artists here in town. One person who checks both those boxes is Mike Bryand, the owner of The Bryand Gallery at 20 South Front Street. We’ve known Mike since before he and his wife, Allie, started their gallery representing over 70 local artists (We’ve known Allie since our 25 year old sons were in preschool together), and we have always loved his energy and his work.

Yesterday he came over to wish us well on our 45th anniversary and brought us this photo he took of John C. Golden and the Hewlett’s Creek Boys and we could not be happier. Even though John C. is no longer with us, now he is here with us today in more than just spirit.

Check out the Bryand Gallery on your next trip downtown and support local artists!!

12/03/2022

Final 45th anniversary giveaway announcement! A framed 12” x 18” Bluefish print by John W. Golden. Come in anytime between now and about 4:30 pm on Saturday to enter. In-person entries only. Need not be present to win. Drawing is for one framed limited edition print. No purchase necessary.

12/02/2022

Two more giveaways left to announce! Stay tuned for our 4th announcement later today. Starting off this morning with Mary Ellen’s framed limited edition print “Johnnie Mercer’s Pier”. Come in anytime between now and about 4:30 pm on Saturday to enter. In-person entries only. Need not be present to win. Drawing is for one framed limited edition print. No purchase necessary.

12/01/2022

Here’s a giveaway that everyone who comes in on Saturday, December 3 gets: A free Wilmington sticker! If you come in the doors, you’ll be leaving with one of these even if we have to stick it on your back without you knowing 😜

12/01/2022

Next up in our giveaways for Saturday’s 45th anniversary celebration: John W. Golden’s 16” x 20” robot art box, Oscar. Come in anytime between now and about 4:30 pm on Saturday to enter. In-person entries only. Need not be present to win. Drawing is for one 16” x 20” art box. No purchase necessary.

11/30/2022

First up in our giveaways for Saturday’s 45th anniversary celebration: Mary Ellen’s 22” x 30” limited edition print, Eventide. Come in anytime between now and about 4:30 pm on Saturday to enter. In-person entries only. Need not be present to win. Drawing is for one unmatted/unframed 22” x 30” limited edition print. No purchase necessary.

11/29/2022

We are getting ready to celebrate 45 years of making art local! Join us Saturday, Dec. 3rd from 3 pm to 5 pm for giveaways and refreshments!

11/27/2022

What's that they say about best-laid plans? The college kid has car trouble, so it looks like we will be spending our Artists' Sunday getting her back to school and getting the car towed instead of here at the gallery. We are sorry if you had plans to visit us today, but hope you will still come down and support the many artists whose work you can buy downtown today.

We are here Tuesday through Saturday 10 am-5:30 pm if you can make it on another day.

11/27/2022

We will be open tomorrow, Artist’s Sunday, from 12 noon until 4 PM. Hope to see you there!

11/24/2022

We hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and you all get to spend some time with loved ones! The gallery will be open regular hours Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and 12-4 pm on Artists’ Sunday for the first time in years. Please join us this weekend in supporting all the businesses that make our downtown such a special place!! And just between us, rumor has it that we may have John W.’s 36” x 36” Masonboro No. 1 Art Box on our walls again for the first time since 2018. If history repeats, it won’t be here long!

11/21/2022

We hope everyone enjoys the Thanksgiving holiday! We will be here for Black Friday, small business Saturday and hope to see you Sunday for Artists’ Sunday.

11/15/2022

We will be open for limited hours Tuesday, 11/15, from 10am - 12 noon. We will be back Wednesday 11/16, and open our regular hours for the remainder of the week!

10/28/2022

Hey folks! Did you know that John W. Is also a musician? He is a guitarist in local band Mars in Spring, and they are playing at Waterline Brewing tonight (10/28) from 7-9pm. Show has been moved indoors due to weather.

10/21/2022

More from the November issue of Our State magazine! John had a lot of fun interpreting these state animals and symbols. Come Spring, these critters (and the pine tree) will be available here at the gallery.

10/20/2022

Those who know our family know that John W. better know how to draw a pine tree. “Felt like my grandfather was looking over my shoulder the whole time”, says John. Coincidentally, besides inspiring just John, his grandfather C.W. took many photos of to***co barns on his daily trips into the woods, planting pines. Many of those photos became reference for Mary Ellen’s beloved to***co barn paintings. See more of John’s work in the November issue of Our State magazine, and Mary Ellen’s barns at the Golden Gallery in historic downtown Wilmington.

10/19/2022

Time for another sneak peek!! Here are a couple of the North Carolina State animals John drew for the November issue of Our State magazine. More to come soon!

10/18/2022

We will not be open Tues. Oct. 18th. We will return to our regular hours Wednesday, Oct 19. We are sorry for any inconvenience. 

10/15/2022

Hey, Y'all! Something exciting happening here at The Golden Gallery and across the Old North State! The November issue of Our State Magazine will feature 12 illustrations of our state animals and state tree by our very own John W. Golden. We will be sharing them here in the coming weeks. In early 2023, they will be available in the shop.

09/30/2022

Morning, friends! We will not be open today, Friday, Sept. 30th. Stay safe and dry!

08/24/2022

We must apologize that we are unable to open today. We will be back tomorrow during our regular business hours.

08/18/2022

We will be closed Thursday, Aug. 18. We will resume regular business hours Friday, Aug. 19.

06/18/2022

John’s newest Wilmington stickers are here! As well as his Saltwater Fish Series ones! The only place in Wilmington you can get these! More exclamation points!!!

06/07/2022

Hey friends! We are closing early today (Tues 6/7) at 4 PM, and tomorrow (Wed 6/8) at 1 PM. The hours feature here on our page refuses to update. We apologize for any confusion this creates. Also, despite the page saying we are closed Fridays, we are in fact, open. The only days we are closed right now are Sundays and Mondays. Thanks for understanding!

04/02/2022

Come check out John W. Golden’s Nautical Chart art blocks! Ten 6” x 6” blocks in all, showing portions our SENC coast as it appeared in the late 19th century. There’s even one for the Wilmington area. Want a 32” x 40” print of the entire chart? We can do that.

03/05/2022

Many, many years ago, Mary Ellen Golden used to paint mini originals. Were you fortunate to pick up an original piece of her work back in the day? Came across 4 original minis this week in the gallery office! We are going to keep these in the family, but plan to offer them as reproductions in our current line of framed mini prints.

02/11/2022

Jane Jackson Faudree Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Many of you will know that we were so very lucky to know Jane Faudree and to have her as a part of our gallery family for many years. She made our little corner of the world a warm and welcoming place. She will live on through her beautiful family and her art and will always have a place in our hearts.

Share Memories & Support the Family.

01/22/2022

Closed today due to inclement weather.

01/20/2022

We are watching the weather, y'all. We will be closed Friday and will close Saturday if the weather dictates. Thanks!!

12/23/2021

Merry Christmas!! Our holiday hours are as follows: 12/23 (Today) - 10am - 3:30pm, Closed 12/24 through 12/26. We will re-open Monday, 12/27. Closed New Year’s Day. 

12/06/2021

Ornaments are underway! We have moved our annual JDRF donation event inside the gallery this year. We could not make a tree happen this year. These are just some of the images that our Type One daughter Kate is helping us make into ornaments this year. If you come in and purchase an ornament for $8, the entire amount will be donated to JDRF to help continue research to make Type One Diabetes a thing of the past. Ornaments will be available through the end of December.

12/05/2021

Who out there knows when it’s best to catch Crabby Claws? Wait for it… wait for it… At Yuletide. 🤪 Mary Ellen’s watercolor of a blue crab in a Santa hat is available as prints, cards, and ornaments.

12/03/2021

Yesterday was the first day of our 45th year in business! All those years in the Cotton Exchange in Downtown Wilmington. Thank you all for your support over the years!

Here's Mary Ellen checking out our first location (now part of the excellent The Basics) about 2 months before we opened our doors. 5 locations (in the same city block) later, you can now find us in the O'Brien Building along with our dear neighbors Occasions Just Write, Elizabeth's Boutique, Port City Pottery and Fine Crafts, Java Dog and Cape Fear Footwear.

Here is the outside of the first Golden Gallery in October 1977. Yellow bell bottoms!

12/03/2021

Hey y’all!! It’s been awhile, what with all that has been going on, but John W’s fish wall is full again! It won’t stay that way long so come down and grab a great gift for your favorite fisher!

11/28/2021

Who’s heading out to support artists today for Artists’ Sunday? The gallery will be open 12-4pm today!

11/22/2021

Morning, Friends! We will follow a holiday schedule this week: Open Tuesday and Wednesday, 10am to 5:30pm. Closed Thursday-Saturday so each of our little work family can spend time with their own families. We will be here Noon-4pm Sunday for Artist's Sunday. Come down and see us! Thank you all for supporting us!