Catch Up On Our Industry Insight Panels
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12/20/23The Digital Art Landscape & More with ARSNL's Founder Kat Feder
CLICK HERE FOR KEY TAKEAWAYS
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10/18/23Arts Non-Profit Directing at The Clemente Center with Haley Ferber
Links / Contacts:
Sympoietic by Sabrina Merayo Nuñes
@hayleyferber - Instagram
Tell us a bit more about The Clemente Center in the LES of NYC.
The Clemente Center is a nonprofit in the Lower East Side, NYC located in old elementary school
Over 100 years old building owned by the city, a 30 year old institution
Mission is to support Mexican and Puerto Rican communities in NYC, but greater community as well
Clemente Valez is poet from LES, walks around neighborhoods speaking poetry and recycling
Room were in: Sympoietic by Sabrina Merayo Nuñes curated by Tarah Rhoda
Biosynthetic material, Nest lights that hang from ceiling with microcosms in them
“Mission of Clemente Center to support artists and art by providing space to show artwork”
How long have you been in your role here and what exactly does your job entail?
Associate director of operators “a little bit of everything, non sexy work”
Been in role for 1 year
Current project: adding elevator to back of building to make it ADA accessible
Can you tell us more about what it’s like to run non profit organizations and what perspective have you gained from being a part of multiple institutions?
Nonprofits: structured in certain way, similar formula
Development, fundraising, grant management, facility management, programs
Make sure space is functioning: maintenance team
“Knowing what your mission is, being able to share it with people, have your elevator pitch ready, to get funding and expand the community… having a strong mission”
Is there something that surprised you the first time you worked at a non profit?
Actual role of executive director, goes to fundraising/cultivating donors
Budgets: you have to come up with your next year before it happens, “mystery budget” - working off of money you don't have yet
What lights you up everyday? What do you get excited about when coming into work?
“I love getting to be in a space surrounded by art”
“Being surrounded by art on a day to day basis and the people I meet. Everyday I meet someone new”
Two gallery spaces, curated a show in one of the spaces this summer
Loves this space were in now
Are you here everyday?
Here Monday - Thursday, remote Fridays
Onsite to make sure things are running smoothly
How does the center select and curate artists to exhibit? How far in advance does your team plan the exhibitions? How does this experience differ from org to org?
Selection process: annual open call
Accepts submissions from curators for a show with 3 or more artists
Takes place in the fall but currently on hold bc of elevator project
Show must align with mission and what they support
Bring in juried panel who select show for the 2 spaces
17-18 shows a year, booked one year in advance
The room we are in: artist has worked w the center, invited to continue in this space
Small budget for installation/art handling
Some organizations provide stipends, some provide the space, some charge
“As an artist it's really important to research the organization you are applying to”
ChaShaMa - how they work:
Being flexible helps you get selected, because of the temporary nature of space
Team reaches out 6 weeks in advance and artist says yes or no
Artist curates and installs show - but is provided the space
What about your personal curatorial projects? What is your process and how do you connect and collaborate with artists for these shows? How do you find these curatorial opportunities for yourself?
Curator for 6-7 years
How do you get spaces for these opportunities?
Work for someone who has space you can use (has curated here and ChaShaMa)
Reach out to organization whose work she likes
1st show was at a nursery - she saw the space and reached out and curated a two day show, this gave her confidence - ask and you shall receive!
Friends who are curators, co curating shows
Equity gallery: members gallery, open calls, workshops, members opportunities
“Network, reaching out, putting yourself out there…personal connections”
How do you find artists?
Through network, work, community, friends,
Instagram, reach out to them, set up studio visit
Artists also reach out to her on instagram
Keeps track of who she meets, show she curated for clemente was 9 artist she had met over the last 2 years - waiting for the right moment to use their work
From studio visits hosted from places she's worked
How often do you get reached out to by artists?
A few times a month, not super often but regularly
Self identified as emerging curator
What would you like to bring to life over the next year or so? Do you have any upcoming goals or projects that you’d like to achieve?
Partnering with organizations: enjoy consulting things, working with different organizations, partnerships,
Never define yourself by your day job
Love to have side hustles happening
Taking time for herself
This year, trying to slow down a bit
Just rented first artist studio in Greenpoint, trying to spend as much time in the studio playing, experimenting with materials
Always had art practice but never at the forefront, but in the last 2 years have started making it more of a priority
Really important for artist to understand what curators go through and really important for curators to understand what artists go through
Artistic practice in bookmaking, printmaking, paper marbling,
As an independent curator, educator and artist coupled with your role as the Associate Director of Operations - how do you do it?! As someone who can relate to having many projects, I’m curious how you manage your time and energy. What do you think is getting most of your attention right now?
Balancing is hard
“I’m intense and i do a lot and sometimes i burn out”
Love doing a lot, she finds it energizing
Tries to give herself downtime, but “life is so short and crazy and intense so when these opportunities arise I just take them”
“I pride myself on committing myself to the things i commit to..I see it through”
Open Floor Questions
How does one reach out and send work?
Instagram: @HayleyFerber
How do you start researching for artists to get connected with galleries?
Finding those organizations that you really connect to/galleries showing the type of work you create
Finding like minded communities
Joining communities like Visionary Projects
Sharing what you’re seeing on platforms like instagram
Go to openings, introduce yourself to curators
Artists can rent spaces, what is the process for that? Studio space availability?
Gallery spaces aren’t available for rent here, but recommend ChaShaMa
Shouldn't be too affected by construction
80% of people here have been here for 20-30 years
Should have more of a rotating residency situation happening soon
Kunstrum has studios for artists in brooklyn
Getting involved in clemente center?
Reach out!
Artists putting on their own shows? Pros and Cons
Often very helpful to put on a group show so you have a larger audience
If it's just you its just your network, more people more networks = more connections
What do you look for in terms of readiness in artists?
Connection to artwork intuitively/right away
Finding the right opportunity for artists more than finding the right artists
Be responsive!!! Be respectful, communicate, be reliable
Worst thing is having to chase someone down to get things moving
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9/28/23Life of a Gallery Director: Rose Leadem of Miguel Abreu Gallery (NYC)
“Give us a snapshot of a day in your life - what is a typical day for you?”
Everyday is different, and it is a very hands on environment
A small gallery of about 10 people, Miguel primarily deals with mid career and emerging artists.
60% of my time is probably spent in the gallery
I'm across artist management, part sales and part exhibitions.
I spend my days doing walkthroughs and meetings with clients, with press people, previews. There's certainly some administrative work involved, emails and phone, trying to do more phone calls recently
In person, sales are primarily done through art fairs
Art is so personal, so boundaries are sometimes non existent with the hours I can work on some days
Instagram is a huge resource and place to see and connect with collectors and artists - I’m on this a lot
“How did you get started in the art world and have you always been at Miguel Abreu Gallery? How long did it take you to achieve your role as Director? Was this always a goal of yours?”
Found my first job at a gallery though NYFA, after some doing doing freelance writing which has really helped me in my career
Worked at Fergus McCaffrey Gallery. which is a more commercial gallery in Chelsea
Stayed for 4+ years, grew into director role organically from sticking with it, learning and opportunities that presented themselves
“How often are you traveling for work? Do you have a favorite work-travel experience? Any fun or cool stories you can share?”
Travel often for art fairs around the world
The art fairs become a community, everyone that works in the arts is in it together and is having a shared experience. So much time is spent at these fairs, setting up, breaking down, etc. It kind of feels like going to camp. Especially in smaller cities like Basel
One time at a fair in France I was feeling a bit delusional and someone was asking me about a piece of art in French, luckily we already sold the piece, but I actually tried to communicate back to him in French even though I didn’t know the language. He had no clue what I was saying and it was pretty embarrassing. (we laughed)
“What would your advice be to your younger self now that you’ve been around gallery organizations for a while now?”
Overall something that’s become really obvious to me over the years is the importance of experience rather than your education. Of course education is so important, but the experience is what really matters and helps you go far
What trends have you been seeing lately? Do you have any insights or predictions for the few years ahead?
* I think we're shifting away from figurative works
* Of course paintings are easier to sell than sculptures
* Landscapes in paintings are becoming more relevant, I’ve been hearing this from many people in my industry
* I believe over the next 6 months this will be more defined
How does your gallery discover its artists to show and represent?
* We try and keep a pretty small roster, and not all galleries do that, but only because we create very personal relationships
* We don’t add in new artists often, but our most recent one we discovered at a fair
* Galleries also share artists with one another, which is helpful to everyone involved
* We learn about artists via word of mouth
* We have about 20 artists in our roster
How far in advance does the gallery line up its shows?
* About 6-8 months, and we have two locations
* In one of our spaces we can be a bit more experimental and we have something going on called Sequence where we have one work by one artist every 1-2 weeks - we can pull out works we haven’t seen in a while and highlight them
What would your advice be to young and emerging artists?
* Bring as many people in to your studio as you can, invite everyone you can
* Develop at least one body of work
* Go to fairs, get into group shows, apply to shows, get your work out there
* Get in touch with the gallery director at a gallery via email or instagram, that’s your best bet - invite them to visit your studio and see your works in person
What has been a positive experience with an artist that you’ve worked with and why?
* I’m fortunate enough to say most of my experiences have been very positive
* I’m helping a lot of artists to sustain their careers, so that drives me
What has been a challenging experience with an artist you’ve worked with and why?
* Sometimes it’s challenging being honest with an artist about their work, because it’s so personal
Do you have a personal art practice? What medium do you gravitate toward?
* There are 5 paintings I’ve made that do still exist!
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8/17/23The World of Podcasting: Erika Hess with I Like Your Work Podcast
“Six years ago, when I began, I was really interested in how I could create community within the arts. I was in Boston at the time, and I had just cofounded an art space called Moussa Collective - it was a group of 12 artists exhibiting their work, and I was spearheading it, doing all of the behind the scenes stuff. Through that experience, knowing that I was going to move, I had to stay connected to my art community that I love, so I was going to start an art space online. There was lot’s of art blogs, but I’m not that great of a writer, so what I decided to do was start a podcast because I knew I love being in studios and artists are my people. I’m going to talk to people who’s work I love, and need to be lifted up. So I just started interviewing artists who I thought were just making incredible work. And when I started there weren’t many women art podcasters. A lot of the art podcasts that I have been listening to were very academic and very dry. I wanted to know how people are living - how are artists living? And that was really how it started. Moving and wanting to create community and doubting my writing skills.”
“The first hurdle we all overcome is just beginning something. What do I need to get together in order to make it happen? The biggest hurdle for me is that I was actively moving. I was recording the first whole season of the podcast in my van. It was getting over that first roadblock. I didn’t have a professional podcast studio, so does that mean I’m not valid? Does that mean I’m not a podcaster? And I think we have to get past those things. There’s mental blocks and there’s just actually just taking the steps forward. I was starting it as a way to create community, and I was pretty naive in a good way because I didn’t have the thoughts of “what if I don’t get so many listeners” and that was actually positive for me.”
“It can be very easy for the world, or for family members to say ‘oh you can’t do that’- I wrote this article, because now I write, and I wrote about what’s in a studio and what makes a studio; and we all have this vision of the beautiful Tribeca studios out there, but the really is that that’s not always happening and that’s okay. Most of us have a kitchen table and that’s okay, we can make it work.”
“Many times we can have an idea of what somebody is going to be like, but most people are super receptive and want to work together.”
“Just keep following what lights you up, and to not get too serious at times where you get anxious or stressed out, keep it fun,”
“The things that you should know is that podcasting is incredibly flexible, but you really need to have a schedule. Set a schedule and really stick to it in terms of a release time. I have it on an academic calendar. It’s about thinking about what our lifestyle looks like. So for the first few years I did an episode every Friday, which was a little intense. You can also do a once a month episode; I know people that have done that”
“It doesn’t have to be really expensive to podcast, and that’s what I like. I know two guys who are art podcasters and I love talking to them and they are really into the equipment - like they got the top mike and and mixing programs. And that’s not what I’m like - I have a free program and a mike that I bought off of Amazon, but now I do have an editor which has helped. But in the beginning I did all the editing for like 2 years, and then I hit a point where I brought in an editor to do that which was such an incredible move for me. You also may start to over edit yourself. So that’s the other reason why it’s nice to have someone edit for me”
“To get started it’s 1: thinking about your schedule and what you want to do. 2: Getting Lipson 3: What recording software would you have to download, which is Audacity, that’s what I edited with. Other people have used Apple. Then also think about the format - do you want to do interviews? Would you rather do solo podcast where you’re giving and sharing information? Some people are better at solo and some are better at interviews. Think about your delivery, your tone. But don’t overthink about that at all. And just make sure you get a workflow so you’re not exhausted.”
“A lot of things that are really interesting and beautiful and wonderful aren’t always accepted by major mainstream places. Approaching your sponsors when trying to measure your success [by benchmarking downloads], what they do want to see are two things: what are your downloads and who is your audience.”two things: what are your downloads and who is your audience.”
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