The Gallery at 6th and 6th is the new kid on the block in the Downtown art world, but boasted an impressive repertoire at its grand opening Saturday with a collection of paintings by American abstract expressionist Ralph Rosenborg.

Lauren Rabb runs The Gallery at 6th and 6th with the help of three UA interns-art history graduate student Veronica Duarte, art history senior Laura McLoone and microbiology sophomore Hannah Dineen.

Rabb said the three “”fabulous”” students have so far assisted her with all aspects of opening and running a gallery – packing and hanging paintings, making labels for the walls and formulating catalogs.

“”I try to make it a broad experience, encompassing lots of parts of running a gallery, creating fun stuff for them to do to make up for the times I make them stamp 200 envelopes,”” she said.

McLoone, who said she hopes to go into a career dealing art, said the internship is the perfect opportunity to help thrust her into the field after she graduates.

“”I’m getting experience that someone who owns an art gallery gets,”” she said. “”And Lauren is starting the gallery from scratch.””

Duarte agrees that she’s been involved in every aspect of the opening, even assisting in arranging the works in order on the walls.

“”She takes my input into consideration,”” she said.

Duarte also said she’s learned a lot. At the opening, she and the other interns will be available to answer potential buyers’ questions about the art.

Rabb got the gallery space in November after moving to Tucson from Washington, though she didn’t come intending to open a gallery. She said she’s pleased with the reception she’s gotten, already receiving so much support from the community.

“”I think people are excited about having New York art here,”” she said. “”Collectors in Tucson are used to traveling.””

Rabb said she appreciates the UA’s contemporary artists and loves being situated adjacent Platform Gallery on Sixth Avenue in a strip of what she labels female-run galleries.

“”The whole downtown art scene is pure and really dedicated to serious art and not at all tourist-driven,”” she said.

Rabb said she acquired the exhibited paintings from Gary Snyder, an old boss at the Princeton Gallery in New York and a major Rosenborg collector.

“”He has hundreds of Rosenborgs and he let me come out and pick whichever ones I wanted to show,”” she said.

There are 24 Rosenborgs exhibited, ranging from 1967 to 1991 and from watercolors to oil paintings. Rosenborg, who lived from 1913 to 1992, was influenced by abstract painters Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky and was contemporaries with Jackson Pollock and Franz Klein, Rabb said.

Rabb said her strong gallery background made this project extremely easy, but that she’s waiting for it to get overwhelming.

“”Right now it’s just a lot of fun,”” she said.

Snyder comes to Tucson for a wine and cheese talk at the gallery April 8.

The gallery’s grand opening is Saturday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Rosenborg show is on display until the end of April.

The Gallery at 6th and 6th is located at 439 N. Sixth Ave. in the Old Firestone building.