About the Owner {Dr. Valerie bennett gillespie}

Dr. Valerie Bennett Gillespie

Dr. Gillespie is an independent curator and gallerist based in Dallas. She holds a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of New England and a master's in art from New York University. Her undergraduate studies in Studio Art and Spanish at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College led her to spend time abroad in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, where she studied art and architecture. She later completed an artist residency at Università Iuav di Venezia in Venice, Italy, where she studied painting and art history under the guidance of Maurizio Pellegrin. 

Valerie is the owner of Pencil on Paper Gallery, located in Dallas’s Design District, and the founder of Valerie Gillespie Contemporary, a nonprofit organization supporting local artists. Her curatorial projects include exhibitions with 500X Gallery, The Other Art Fair, The Beachum Family Collection, The Martin Museum, Southern Methodist University, The Hawn Gallery, The African American Museum of Dallas and the Texas Visual Arts Association.

Pencil on Paper Gallery has received accolades, including Best Art Gallery in Dallas/Fort Worth (2021), Best Art Space in Dallas by D Magazine (2023), and Best Art Gallery for Emerging Artists by D Magazine (2024). The gallery has been featured in The Dallas Morning News, Patron Magazine, Elliman Magazine, D Magazine, The Dallas Observer, Voyage Dallas, and on CBS Mornings. Now in its sixth season, Pencil on Paper Gallery proudly presented work from its represented artists at the Harlem Fine Art Show and Hamptons Fine Art Fair in 2024 and looks forward to its second presentation at the Dallas Art Fair in the spring of 2025.

Established in 2019, Pencil on Paper Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in the Dallas Design District that promotes emerging, mid-career, and veteran artists. With an emphasis on community-based engagement through the empowerment of artists, the gallery provides a platform which represents a diverse array of culture and artistry while fostering an appreciation for the arts. The gallery is a proud member of CADD (Contemporary Art Dealers of Dallas) and has been featured in Harper’s Bazaar, The Dallas Morning News, Patron Magazine, D Magazine, PaperCity, Dallas Weekly, and Douglas Elliman Magazine. In addition, represented artist Desmond Blair was featured on Gail King's CBS Mornings for his exhibitions at Pencil on Paper Gallery. Gallery features have aired on ABC, CBS & NBC local news platforms. Pencil on Paper Gallery has collaborated with the Martin Museum in Waco to feature the art collection of Jessica and Kelvin Beachum in the family's second exhibition of, "Narrative as Reality." Pencil on Paper Gallery first collaborated with the Beachum Family at the Hawn Gallery at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, curating works from the family collection. Pencil on Paper Gallery is entering its 6th season and is excited to announce new programming with its nonprofit, Valerie Gillespie Contemporary. Please visit VGC here!