One of Chandler’s best kept secrets is the Basha’s corporate art museum. I’ve lived here for 14 years and didn’t hear about it until last year. Billie’s son did some work for Basha’s and told her about the collection. Since then we have been talking about taking a trip over to see it, but never got around to it.

The grocery wars haven’t been kind to this local, family run, grocery chain. They are in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. This week I read a news article about their creditors trying to force them to sell off the collection as a way to pay off some of their debts. They are fighting hard to hold onto it, but I thought we had better hurry up and see it just in case. Yesterday Recliner Man, Billie, her “Recliner Man”, and I headed out for an afternoon adventure.

Right away we could tell that this was going to be an even bigger adventure than we had expected. The Basha family has collected over 3000 pieces of contemporary Native American and Western art. The moment you enter the gallery, you begin to sense just how wonderful this collection is. Every corner turned, brings you to another wonderful sight. And there are a lot of corners to turn!

This one made me think of my grandpa, Archie. Grandpa raised Hereford cattle and my Uncle David told me that Grandpa was never happier than when he “relaxed” on Sundays by getting on his horse and riding around to check on his herd.

There were several that made me think of Grandpa.

I was captivated by some of the more modern works.

Recliner Man prefers the ones that “look like a photograph.”

There was something for everyone to enjoy in this high quality collection.

I tried to catch some candid images of our group enjoying the art, but every time I got the camera in focus someone would turn around.

Or everyone would turn around.

Or they would all run away.

Finally I’d had enough with failed candid shots and told Billie to pose for me.

Thanks, Billie.

I have to admit that when I first read about Basha’s having all this valuable art, I was more sympathetic to the creditors. If you owe money and you have assets, then you should use those assets to pay off your debt, right? Now I am not so sure about that. While walking though this gallery I couldn’t stop thinking about how each item was beautiful, but it was the whole of the collection that made it such a marvelous experience. It’s the type of treasure that mankind needs to have access to. I told Recliner Man, “Isn’t it amazing how much talent some people possess? And isn’t it good for all of us that they do!”