Making a Community Exhibition at the Providence Art Club

When telling the story of the local art community in any state, region, or locality, it is important to share a broad scope of what contemporary visual artists are making. Over the last year, here on my website, I have begun developing a program of virtual juried exhibitions to highlight artists from all over the country. When I jury them, I work to pick artworks that are of high quality and that are reflective of what was submitted by applicants. I don’t try to reframe the submissions to suit my own perspective, but rather select a body of work that is both representative and also exciting. On view now through May 7, 2021 at the Providence Art Club, a physical exhibition I helped to organize has the same aims. Namely, that goal is to share a broad view of the community of artists who are at work in the State of Rhode Island today.

The Rhode Island Community Invitational Exhibition is the first such exhibition held at the Club in recent years. The Galleries of the Providence Art Club have been exhibiting artworks by members as well as non-member artists for over 130 years. Since 1885, the Club’s main gallery has been housed at 11 Thomas Street on picturesque College Hill. In the ensuing decades, it has played host to exhibitions that included the work of artists ranging from Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot to Ellsworth Kelly. Although the Club mounts a popular annual National Open Juried Exhibition and often partners with other organizations to exhibit the work of non-member artists, most of the exhibitions remain member-focused. In recent years we hosted a reciprocal exhibition with a peer arts organization in Boston and displayed a juried scholarship exhibition for Rhode Island college students. The current show was born out of an idea for an exhibition that would allow us to share recent artworks by more of our neighbors from across the State of Rhode Island.

One wall of work at the Rhode Island Community Invitational Exhibition, on view through May 7.

Sometime before 2020, I pitched the idea of a Community Invitational Exhibition, in which the Club’s gallery staff could select artists and invite them to exhibit in a diverse group show. Although the pandemic disrupted our plans and our schedules, we were finally able to make this show a reality and it is on view through May 7. I think that the resulting collection of work provides a fun and engaging view into what artists across the state are creating. I thought it might be of interest to artists to know how such a show comes together.

Together with my gallery colleagues Abba Cudney and Brianna Turner, we assembled a list of well over 100 non-member artists based in Rhode Island with whom we thought we might like to work. In putting together this roster we aimed to list artists who worked in a breadth of media, in a range of styles, who focused on varying themes and who came from all over the small state. As we determined which of the Club’s three galleries we would use for the show, we edited down our list but still invited over 50 artists to be featured in the exhibition. Due to scheduling conflicts and other commitments, a number of invited artists were not able to take part this time so the completed show includes about forty talented artists.

In the exhibition, viewers can see a cross section of Rhode Island artists are making today. There is realism and abstraction. There are paintings, drawings, prints, and photographs. There is sculpture, glass, and works in ceramic. The featured artists live in towns and cities dotted across the state and come to the exhibition with a wide variety of expertise, education, and unique contributions to the art community. Because artists tend to wear so many hats, the exhibitors on view also have other credentials outside their respective practices. Some are gallery owners or directors, several are teachers or professors, and some are small business owners. Longstanding and mid-career artists are showing alongside younger and emerging art-makers. The exhibition even includes artists who are still studying in undergraduate programs at schools like Rhode Island College and The Rhode Island School of Design.

Another view of the exhibition in the Art Club’s historic Maxwell Mays Gallery.

One of the benefits of working in a small place like Rhode Island is that everyone knows everyone. As we considered an artist, that individual’s work might lead us to the work of another. There is also the digital happenstance of finding a new artist by accident online while searching for something or someone unrelated. The process of making our list was lively. The tools we used to create our list included both traditional avenues like gallery rosters and past exhibitions we had seen, as well as more novel means like social media. A number of the artists in the show became known to us solely through Instagram. 

With our list of prospective artists assembled, we invited each participant to pick one artwork they were most excited to exhibit. Some artists asked for our feedback or gave us a choice between three or four equally lovely paintings. Others decisively sent us their submission within hours of being invited. All of the works submitted are of high quality and the entire collection works together very well. There are points of visual comparison and overlap as well as of difference and opposition. It has the feeling of a competitive national exhibition, even though every artist is based in Rhode Island.

When installing this Community Invitational, we thought carefully about sizes, media, and the potential aesthetic connections between seemingly divergent objects. We anchored walls with large works and then built collections of more intimately scaled items around them. In the corners of the historic gallery, we highlighted some of the fantastic three-dimensional pieces that were submitted. Across the exhibition, we worked to pair items in order to help viewers gain a better appreciation for each individual piece. The result is a cohesive show in which viewers can spend a long time looking at a plethora of great items.

One of the groupings in the Rhode Island Community Exhibition on view at the Art Club through May 7.

I am pleased with the outcome for our first Rhode Island Community Invitational and feel that it captures a snapshot of some of the exciting things being made in Rhode Island now by a wide range of artists. I am personally very grateful to all the exhibitors who, on very short notice, pulled from their inventories to provide us with a stunning array of visual art.

So far, the feedback I’ve received has been quite positive, with participating artists and gallery guests marveling at the multifaceted exhibition. In viewing this show I hope that visitors will chart their own visual connections across the works presented. Hopefully, too, viewers will discover the work of local artists who they might not otherwise know.

I enjoyed working on this special exhibition and hope that those who come to see it gain a deeper appreciation for the fine works of art being made in their community by their friends, acquaintances, and by those neighbors who they have not yet met.

The Rhode Island Community Invitational Exhibition is on view in the Maxwell Mays Gallery at the Providence Art Club through May 7. The show is open to the public Sundays - Fridays 12-4pm each day and admission is always free. For information on this show, you can contact me at the Art Club via email at michael@providenceartclub.org, or by phone at 401-331-1114 x 5.

That Must Be Fun: Navigating Misconceptions About Gallery Work

The field of gallery work, especially as it relates to commercial gallery spaces, tends to be somewhat misunderstood. It is certainly not thought of in all quarters as a serious career. As a gallery professional, when I meet someone at a social function and the question of work comes up, the statement “I manage an art gallery” almost always elicits the same reply, particularly from those who don’t work in the arts: “That must be fun.” While work in the art market is stimulating and those of us who get to do it are incredibly lucky, those four words, and the mindset they represent, are indicative of some fundamental misconceptions about gallery work and who gallerists are.

The average American rarely, if ever, steps foot in a commercial gallery space. And the majority of Americans have never purchased (and will never purchase) an original work of art. So, it makes sense that most perceptions of gallery work are shaped by popular culture. Scripted television shows like Sex and The City or GIRLS have given us fictional gallery workers like Charlotte York and Marnie Michaels. In the 2003 rom-com classic Love Actually a group of school children snicker at a gallerist’s show of large scale nude photos festooned with Santa hats. And the 2012 Bravo reality series Gallery Girls primarily showed the lives of privileged young women working in the industry. Moreover, recent documentaries and news stories about the art market skewer dealers (alongside others) as shadowy insiders grifting from the nouveau riche. In short, when commercial galleries appear in media they are conversely the object of ridicule about elitism or the subject of suspicion regarding the murky nature of money in the visual arts. And gallery workers themselves are often envisaged as delicately coiffed trust fund babies in need of a hobby.

In addition to this problem of perception in the media, it makes sense that a central conceit of gallery life, the wine and cheese fueled reception, is viewed as a sort of party which gallery staff attend rather than an event which gallery staff work. Anecdotally, at least, it seems that many people see gallery professionals as individuals who have fun for a living. These lucky few spend their days toying with art and rubbing elbows with a bevy of glamorous collectors and talented artists. And in the imaginative mind, this hobnobbing is occasionally punctuated by a glass of Rosé over a sumptuous crudités spread.

Misconceptions about gallery work are not limited to those outside the field. Not long ago, I met an aspiring gallery professional who commented that the best part of gallery work was that curators and directors don’t have to lift a finger, saying, “You just point and people hang it for you.” The disconnect between this comment and the reality of daily life for the majority of individuals who make their living in art galleries astounded me.

So what is the reality for many commercial gallery professionals?

Outside of major hubs like New York or Los Angeles and beyond the walls of mega galleries like Gagosian, Zwirner, or Pace, smaller regionally-based and local galleries tend to be financially precarious and gallery owners are often one-man-bands. This means a gallerist has to possess an incredible array of skills. They must be equal parts curator, writer, preparator, installer, art handler, maintenance supervisor, publicist, public speaker, photographer, graphic designer, accountant, events manager, educator, caterer, bartender, server, and custodian. This isn’t to mention the softer skills of social diplomacy required when dealing with sensitive artists, frugal buyers, and a curious public. This job description would be a tall order for anyone, but when you consider the limited financial incentives involved in the local and regional market it becomes taller still.

The gallerist, in spite of this broad skill set, remains an enigmatic figure. And the pressures of gallery work are often veiled behind the well-crafted façade of the art world. The reality is that employees at the majority of commercial galleries are not, in fact, filing their nails at the reception desk of a white cube on the Lower West Side of Manhattan. But instead, they are engaging in numerous skilled tasks, often across many exhibitions at once. They are, additionally, providing needed services to artists and bringing artwork to the market - often acting as the only professional representation certain locally known artists will ever have.

So, why does it matter if the general public or even art people themselves understand what or who a gallerist is and what their work is like?

Misconceptions about gallery work devalue the labor of gallery professionals. Not only in the eyes of those with an already limited affinity for the visual arts. But also in the minds of those who are genuinely interested in galleries, art, and collecting. An artist once told me that commercial galleries are a racket because gallerists provide virtually nothing in exchange for their 50% commission. This line of thinking is extremely troubling. A good gallery owner, indeed a good gallery professional at any level, does much more. And for this reason gallery workers are worthy of recognition. But the reputation of privilege and frivolity persists. So, too, does the idea of the unfriendly gallery person.

In the popular imagination gallerists are chilly and inaccessible. In reality, though, commercial gallery work is essentially the effort to bring art to new audiences and thereby to new potential clientele. For this reason, gallery staffers must be public people, yet they are often perceived as closed off. This is in part the fault of gallerists everywhere who fantasize that they are the second coming of Larry Gagosian. Gallerists on the lower end of the market who seek to cultivate a reputation for elitism and aloofness do so at their own peril and degrade the reputation of the profession in the process.

Those of us in the gallery field are more often than not amiable people who care about art and artists and work to help them navigate this complicated marketplace insofar as we can. Commercial galleries also provide an incredible, if unspoken, community service in that unlike most art museums they never charge admission. For free, anyone can visit an art gallery and see artwork that is being made by artists right now. And they can often engage directly with the artist, too.

Gallery work is, as many people suspect, deeply enjoyable. But it is also emotionally and physically taxing in its own way. I know many in the business who work around the clock even when the gallery is closed, conducting studio visits, installing purchases in the homes of clients, answering frantic emails from artists on weekends at midnight, to name just a few common tasks. Though the work is often fun, it’s not always easy.

Ultimately, the best way to understand gallery work is to be in the trade. But one can learn a lot by speaking to real world professionals. A little bit of research also goes a long way. Instagram accounts like @arthandlermag, @jerrygogosian, and @contemporarycostanza humorously illuminate some of the things that go on behind-the-scenes. But truly, visiting galleries, reading art news, and following your local gallerist are essential to developing an understanding of gallery culture and the people who make it all happen.

And, if you ever have any questions for your own friendly local gallerist, you should feel more than welcome to email me.

What Has Your Gallery Done For You Lately?

One of the questions I hear most frequently from artists is “how do I get my work  into a commercial gallery?” For most artists who operate primarily within a local and regional marketplace, this is a complicated question. Even in a culturally rich region such as the Northeast, the ratio of commercial galleries and art dealers to artists is deeply uneven with artists outnumbering venues enormously. Although many artists state their interest in breaking into the commercial gallery market, I rarely receive questions about what comes next. Namely, how to maintain a relationship with a gallery and examine its worth to an artist’s practice and business.

Because artists are so interested in being represented professionally, and because these resources are so scarce, artists tend to accept just about anything from their local gallerist. Commercial galleries are for profit businesses in which a gallerist makes their living representing the work of a select “stable” of artists. Particularly in these venues, certainly more so than non-profit arts collaborative, associations, or other membership-based organizations, commercial gallerists have a special responsibility to serve the artists they represent in a variety of areas.

In this post I will examine a few key areas where artists should be particularly critical of their gallery’s performance.

Reputation

Your gallery should have a good reputation. While its not always easy to discern a gallery’s standing in the community, it is simple to explore how a gallery interacts with other organizations, artists, and with the broader public. You can assess a gallery’s reputation by asking artists, collectors, and other galleries who have worked with them who they are and what they’re about. If a gallery has a reputation for being slow to pay their artists, or unethical, or disorganized, there may be some truth behind it. Ultimately, the gallery’s reputation will also become your reputation if you align your brand with theirs.

Mentorship
Your gallery should provide mentorship about your work. The gallerist should encourage your best work and discourage your weak material. How can a gallerist do this? A quality gallery professional will have the education, experience, and connoisseurship necessary to help you improve your work. For this reason its important to truly examine the qualifications of dealer or gallerist you’ll be working with when considering any gallery. Whether you like it or not, your gallerist should take a critical view of your work and thereby help you to grow, evolve, and improve both as an artist and as an art businessperson.

Marketing

Your gallery should be marketing your work specifically in addition to promotions for shows in which your work is included, or for the gallery itself. A good gallery relationship should not only include space on the wall but also an increased knowledge of your work in the marketplace. If your gallery has a poor website, a small following on social media, a weak mailing list, or rarely mentions your work publicly then it may be time to rethink the relationship. The gallery should be sharing your work with their audience, and you should tell your followers about your relationship with them.

Sales

Your gallery should be selling your work. And they should aid you in holding the line on your prices. A quality gallerist will help their artists find a price point for their work that validates the effort and materials involved but also reflects the realities of the marketplace. Again, a good gallerist should have the experience necessary to this task. They should be able to help artists set a reasonable price for their work and maintain it. As an artist, you too should be aware of the marketplace for work like yours in your area and be honest about its salability.

Collectors

Your gallery should connect your work with collectors of all varieties, not only frequent collectors (who are few and far between at the regional level), but also with first time art buyers and other customers who are seeking simply to buy work for their home or office. A few top tier regional galleries will be able to place work in permanent collections within corporate or institutional settings, but these opportunities are rare and the competition is fierce.

Networking

Your gallery should provide opportunities for you to meet their audience at events as well as through studio visits or other means. There should also be opportunities to connect with your fellow artists and members of your local art community. A professional gallery should be connected to the key individuals in the arts nearby, as well as have a broad array of fans and followers who regularly attend their openings, programs, and other events.

In addition to these topics, there are probably too many other considerations to mention in this short post, but there are a few key issues to consider. The first is that there are no strict qualifications for owning and operating a commercial art gallery and the talent pool in smaller commercial galleries is quite variable. If a gallerist has no educational background in the visual arts, few connections within the art community, or seems to own a gallery mostly for their own enjoyment, a question might be raised about their suitability to handle your work professionally and effectively.

Another issue is that often, smaller galleries focus on a few key artists at the expense of their broader stable. If your work is never on view and it’s hard to get your gallerist’s attention, you should examine the real value of the relationship honestly. It is also important to remember that you must always be assessing the quality of your gallery, their services, and their effectiveness. If things aren’t going well, you should have a conversation with your gallery professional. Communication is key to developing healthy and mutually beneficial relationships.

With all of the above considerations in mind, it is also important to remember that the pressures on small local and regional commercial galleries have never been greater. Between skyrocketing rents, and the many costs involved in operating a brick and mortar business of any kind, the profit margins can be razor thin or non-existent. Considering your gallery’s position will help you to put yourself in their shoes.

Ultimately, no small gallery can completely shape the market for an artist’s work and it is extremely important that artists take responsibility for their own professionalism and maintain their own art business vigilantly. Doing this will give you the wherewithal to thrive in the market even in spite of the sometimes precarious position of small local and regional galleries.