“I can remember the moment with perfect clarity,” said Pam Floyd, owner of Pamela Jean Gallery in downtown Roanoke. “Christy was screaming with an excruciating headache. The kind of scream only a mother knows is different.” Within minutes the trajectory of the entire family’s life had changed. Pamela’s 27-year-old daughter who was 5 months pregnant at the time, had suffered an acute aneurism that would leave her debilitated for the foreseeable future. That was almost one year ago.
“The greatest blessing was the fact that in the middle of all this trauma she was still able to carry a healthy baby to term,” said Pamela. Addison Jean was born August 11, 2009.
Just three years earlier, Pam and Christy has realized the lifelong dream of opening a gallery across the street from what would be come the Taubman Museum of Art. With a passion for art and a fundamental understanding of its value to a community, The Pamela Jean Gallery was committed to providing education about artists, art styles and media.
The gallery represented regionally, as well as internationally acclaimed artists, such as Chico Harkrader, Christine Graefe Drewyer, Margaret Lee, Susan Saandholland, John Hinkle, Michael Creed, Ana Lazovsky, Markus Pierson, Mio Studio, Petra by Renie and K Robins.
Their goal was to bring people and generations together by offering programs and exhibits that appealed to all ages and sensibilities. In January of 2008, The Pamela Jean Gallery received high praise for their presentation of “The Art of Dr. Seuss” which included the great work of Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) and offered activities for children and adults alike.
In the months following Christy’s aneurism, she would undergo surgery and therapy to begin a long road to recovery, which included time at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, the same facility where Roanoke police officer Bryan Lawrence spent much of the previous year. With the love and support of family, friends and the Roanoke arts community, Pam was determined to keep her daughter’s vision alive by keeping the gallery open.
A family endeavor indeed — her son Sean has been the framing coordinator and her daughter Tricia (who was born with a handicap) has been working with her in the gallery. Pam and her husband also have a son, Andrew, who is a senior at North Cross.
“It has been overwhelming at times,” she admits. “Trying to balance the life of raising a teenager, caring for a handicapped adult child, helping manage Christy’s therapy and recovery, and run a gallery — all while caring for an infant grandchild so Christy’s husband can continue to work.”
Pamela is the first to admit she doesn’t do it alone. Alongside gallery manager, Susan Moore, the artists have loyally stood by her as she and her family dealt with this tragedy. However, as the realities of a severe brain injury including the length and uncertainty of recovery — begin to unfold, difficult decisions had to be made.
“With the deepest sense of gratitude to everyone in our wonderful community, the time has come for me to close Pamela Jean Gallery and focus all my attention on family, in particular helping care for our beautiful granddaughter while her mother fights her way through recovery,” said Floyd. “Her husband, Brian Hogan, has done an amazing job managing but I feel like they need our additional support as Addison begins to walk.”
Pamela Jean Gallery, located at 115 Salem Avenue, S.E. in historic downtown closed its doors for good on Saturday, February 20.
By Stephanie Koehler [email protected]