The Shakedown Gallery began at the Gathering of the Vibes in 1999 as The Merlin’s Wheel Gallery. Its first major outing was the ill-fated Woodstock ’99 event, where the gallery hosted a full photo display by Woodstock photographer Elliott Landy and an endearing re-encounter by Elliott and Woodstock emcee Wavy Gravy. Alas, the show ended with burning tractor trailers mere yards from our booth and gallery staff took up sticks and rods to strike a defensive stance against rioting frat boys. Woodstock ’99, which we later dubbed Mobstock, was not exactly an auspicious beginning.
The following month, Leda from Gathering of the Vibes asked to see photos of the gallery at Mobstock and was so impressed with what we did that she suggested we do a similar set-up at Vibes in 2000. With generous support from Vibes promoter Ken Hays, the Merlin’s Wheel Gallery presented itself as The Vibes Gallery and became a staple at the festival that endures to this day.
The Gallery, as it came to be known, set up at Wakarusa, Bonnaroo, and Langerado in the years that followed, but Gathering of the Vibes was always the place where it had its finest hour. Over the years the gallery was rebranded from The Merlin’s Wheel Gallery to “That gallery on Shakedown Street” so the name shifted to Shakedown Gallery.
Shakedown Gallery specializes in psychedelic art, focusing on signed pieces by psychedelic luminaries such as Ken Kesey, Timothy Leary, Albert Hofmann, Jerry Garcia, Wavy Gravy and others. It typically features artwork from the Grateful Dead art scene, including such licensed Grateful Dead artists as Stanley Mouse, Tina Carpenter, Mikio Kennedy, William Giese, Richard Biffle, MIke DuBois and others. Visionary artist Alex Grey is a close friend and ally who frequently allows us to sell signed Giclees and posters and we work closely with Alex to sell CoSM merchandise at his own events.
If you’ve seen something for sale at the gallery at a show but don’t see it on the web, drop a line and ask if it is still in stock. The site is primarily for selling the prints we produce, but we can still accommodate sales of rare and hard to find items.
Thank you and please stop back often. The site is being continuously developed.
