The meeting focused on discussing the formation of an Independent Art Spaces Alliance in NYC, with participants including Arabella von Arx, Madeleine Hollenbeck, Hanne Tierney-Wang, Susanne Oellinger, Will Greenspon, Harrison Love and Lily Capierseho.
Hanne Tierney-Wang shared insights from Sabine Schumacher about a successful Bronx Arts Alliance model that organized a biennial festival by clustering galleries within a two-mile radius and establishing a core organizing team. The group discussed defining what constitutes an independent art space, with consensus that it should exclude university galleries and large commercial institutions while focusing on smaller, community-driven spaces.
Participants explored potential benefits including shared visibility through a centralized website, increased audience reach, and opportunities for synchronized exhibitions across multiple venues. Harrison Love suggested creating an archive of past shows and developing a mapping platform similar to Artmageddon.
The discussion also covered potential partnerships with local businesses like real estate offices and accounting firms to host exhibitions, and the IASA website could gather these businesses with suitable spaces that would hold exhibits.
Discussion in more detail:
Art Alliance Expansion Discussion
Hanne Tierney-Wang shared information from Sabine Schumacher about establishing an alliance and suggested reading her email with press release suggestions. We discussed the current basic structure of their art alliance, which includes a website and Instagram managed by Madeleine, and considered ways to expand their efforts. We agreed to start discussing ideas for the alliance, with Hanne Tierney-Wang planning to send additional information via email before leaving the meeting.
Bronx Art Space Biennial Festival
Hanne Tierney-Wang shared details about the successful Bronx Art Space biennial festival, which was organized by local galleries forming an alliance in the Hunts Point area. The festival demonstrated the importance of geographic clustering for arts organizations, with participants noting that keeping the distance manageable between venues helped with coordination and funding opportunities. The discussion concluded with participants discussing potential future collaborations with various artists and gallery owners in the area.
STOA Arts Organization Origins
Harrison Love explained the origins of STOA, an arts organization he founded five years ago to expose people to art through monthly exhibitions in Prospect Park. He described STOA’s partnership with ExhibitIQ platform for smart contracts and provenance tracking, and expressed enthusiasm about potential alliances between art organizations like NADA and the International Art Dealers Alliance to better support artists and gallerists.
Independent Art Spaces Alliance
The group discussed the benefits and organization of an Independent Art Spaces Alliance, focusing on exposing art to the public and creating a cohesive artistic experience. Susanne shared her experience organizing group shows and highlighted the need for thoughtful curation to ensure a meaningful experience for viewers. Arabella acknowledged the need for a committee to manage the initiative and suggested starting with a small group to build momentum. We also discussed how giving a voice to the public to address visual arts is not done enough and so important.
Brooklyn Independent Art Spaces Focus
The group discussed focusing their project on independent art spaces in Brooklyn rather than expanding to all five boroughs for the time being. Arabella remarked that we already have a member who is in the West Village, and that we can have galleries spread out when it comes to our internet presence. We defined independent spaces as being run by one or two people, excluding university galleries, large institutes such as the Cue Foundation, and established institutions like Chelsea galleries. Madeleine agreed that starting with Brooklyn spaces was appropriate since that’s where Gallery Particulier which leads the project is based, with potential for future expansion when the project gains more traction.
Art Exhibition Organization Challenges
The group discussed challenges in defining and organizing art exhibitions, particularly focusing on independent shows versus gallery-mounted exhibitions. Harrison stressed that independent shows in more natural settings are more interesting than sterile gallery spaces, emphasizing the importance of conversation around art. He also highlighted funding challenges in the art world, noting that limited grant opportunities often cause infighting between different art groups and organizations. Harrison described his process for organizing art hopping events using Seesaw to map multiple shows within a two-hour window.
Independent Art Spaces Alliance Planning
The group discussed organizing independent art spaces and galleries into an alliance to create a more comprehensive mapping platform showing art shows across different areas and time periods. Harrison suggested adding timeline functionality to demonstrate the legacy and dedication of gallerists and curators. It was emphasized that values distinguishing our independent art spaces from commercial galleries like those in Chelsea could define the alliance’s identity. The participants explored benefits including shared audience visibility, artist engagement opportunities, and potential partnerships with local businesses and real estate spaces for exhibitions. Madeleine agreed to develop website improvements including an archive of galleries and artist introductions, while the group decided to reach out to Robert Elstein from Artmageddon for guidance and Vanessa Raptopoulos to explore business partnerships through the local merchants association.