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Artist Jay Etkin’s passion is celebrating life — but it looks a lot like community instead

By , Daily Memphian Updated: November 09, 2025 4:00 AM CT | Published: November 09, 2025 4:00 AM CT

Rodney Wells considers himself a good judge of character — and he’s always liked Jay Etkin. 

They first met a decade ago when Wells worked as a parking valet at Alchemy in Cooper-Young and he would visit Etkin’s art gallery next door. Etkin was kind and welcoming, and they talked not just about art but their lives, how Wells had come from Los Angeles and Etkin from New York. And it wasn’t long before they visited each other regularly. 

“I thought he was a pretty awesome dude,” Wells said. “We just hit it off, right off the top, and became very close friends.”

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John Klyce

John Klyce is an enterprise reporter with The Daily Memphian who writes a wide range of in-depth features, as well as profiles about local leaders, scientists, musicians, artists, entrepreneurs, and anyone else doing exciting and important work in this city. He previously spent four years with the Memphis Business Journal, where he covered public companies, startups, and innovation, and a fifth year with The Commercial Appeal, where he covered education, and chronicled how gun violence and poverty were affecting Memphis youth and their families. He has also been a fellow with the Institute for Citizens and Scholars. John has a B.A. in journalism from the University of Memphis and an M.F.A. in creative writing from Boston University.


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