Visionary – Joshua Otten

Co-Owner, J Willott Gallery

Site Staff Vision

Photo by Ethan Kaminsky

 

Joshua Otten believes the foundation for success is honesty, hard work, and attention to detail — three things he puts into practice at J Willott Gallery.

He and his business partner Joshua W. Paquette chose to launch the business here in 2007, since “the Coachella Valley affords us a lot of unique opportunities that are not easily found in other geographic areas,” he says. “This whole area is rich with art collectors who appreciate the type of art that we like to sell.” In addition, the quality of life is unmatched. “There are some of the best schools in California here. There’s an incredible amount of culture, and dozens of top-end restaurants. That combination is something my wife and I looked into when we chose the valley.”

J Willott Gallery is a two-man business, with the partners handling everything from marketing and packaging to hanging the gallery and finding the art. “When you deal with our gallery, you’re dealing with the owners,” he says. “You’re not taking someone else’s word for it. You know that we’ve gotten the piece directly from the artist and that we can tell you the background on it,” he says.

He also supports the valley’s commitment to philanthropy. “To be truly successful in this community, you really need to become part of it, and we learned that from very early on,” Otten says. “One cause that we are deeply involved with is the Living Desert Zoo and Botanical Gardens. They have one of the top animal rescue programs in the country as well as an amazing botanical garden. As part of our commitment to the Living Desert, once a year we host a benefit called Art for Animals.”

Otten notes that the area is an ideal place for companies looking to relocate. “There’s a great appreciation for hard work here. If you’re willing to work hard and put your money where your mouth is, this is a great place to start a business.”