After growing up in Houston, receiving a college BFA, working for a couple of private galleries, and a handful of years trying to fit into non arts businesses, Charles Froelick founded his gallery in 1995 in Portland, OR. Several original goals still guide his business: Froelick Gallery represents and exhibits the best artists who have strong and independent voices; Froelick Gallery’s artists are from across the USA and some live abroad; Froelick Gallery works with clients of all levels to support their art collecting. The gallery endeavors to sell its artists' work often and to promote the artists' long term careers. Additionally Charles Froelick believes that freedom of expression is an enduring right essential for healthy civil society and artistic excellence. Froelick studied history, religion, studio arts and arti history at several colleges, eventually receiving a BFA at the University of North Texas in 1989. He worked at two legendary galleries: Hiram Butler Gallery in Houston, Texas from 1988 to 1991 and Jamison Thomas Gallery in Portland, OR from 1992 to 1995.
Froelick Gallery is thrilled to celebrate its 30th Anniversary in October 2025.
Charles Froelick credits the success of his gallery to the enduring, positive relationships with both artists and clients, his great enthusiasm and appreciation for working with artists and clients, and to the principled values instilled by his wonderful parents and siblings.
In 2013, Charles was named “One of the city’s iconic gallery owners” in a profile by the Oregon Business Journal. The article can be viewed online here.
Froelick focusses time on his gallery, and has a long history of volunteering for cultural organizations. From 2012 until 2018 he served as a board member of the Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts, including several years as board chair; from 2014 to 2016 he was on the Smithsonian National Museum of The American Indian's National Council; he was a Portland Art Dealer’s Association (PADA) founding member and served on its board from 2004 to 2010 and as a board president from 2008 to 2010. Charles was a board member for the Portland Art Museum's Friends of the Gilkey Center for Graphic Arts from 1999 to 2003 and board president from 2001 to 2003. Other volunteer civic work includes the Regional Arts & Culture Council’s Public Art Advisory Committee in Portland from 1994 to 1999; decades of committee volunteer work for the Cascade AIDS Project Annual Art Auction starting in 1996; and the Advisory Committee for the Portland Center For Performing Arts from 2005 to 2008.