And so it begins

While Rebekah Templeton is closed for July and August, Sarah and I get a chance to step back and evaluate how we're doing. By about mid-July, I'm itchin' for the gallery to re-open. This year will hopefully be smoother simply because we're booked so far ahead. The last two years there's always been a frantic search every couple of months to fill some slot that has been left open due to various disappointments most of which were our own fault. But finally, we've got a full season planned way ahead. Ok, so I'm done patting myself on the back for something that seems to come naturally for everyone else, but credit where credits due.
Isobel Sollenberger and John Gibbons, who will be creating a number of pieces in the gallery for Sept, have started working. This is one of my favorite times. Its fantastic to watch things being made and not have the stress of making them. More interesting, there's always a surprise. While I've had multiple meetings and converstations with Isobel and John, I've seen sketches, etc, its always going to be differnet than what I imagine. I guess thats part of the magic.
So, they've started pouring the plaster into drywall bits that will be mounted to the false walls that John put up. They've died it a lavender color, which is hot. I still can't really picture what it will look like installed but I'm into it already.

Dealer Haters

Where does the cynicism toward dealers come from? While there are plenty of examples of dealers 'screwing' artists, the vast majority of these are heard 2nd, third, fourth, etc hand. More importantly, the facts in these stories are never the facts. The few dealers in NYC, London, and Philly that I have met seem so genuinely interested and supportive of what their artists do that it makes these 'terrible tales' all the more hard to believe. Having spoken to a number of artists supported by commercial galleries, they seem to contradict this cynicism as well.
So why are artists in a small secondary market fear-full of big bad dealers taking advantage of them? Most artists in Philly don't have representation agreements and don't even get a whiff of the kinds deals that major markets create. This attitude seems to perpetuate the proliferation of non-profit spaces in Philly, as well. While I don't begrudge non-profit spaces, having spent some time working in one, this model doesn't support artists in the long run. I'll get into non-profits in depth at a later time. For now, lets just say that while most artists worth their salt laugh at the romantic ideas of what others think it is to be an artist, the romantically pervasive idea of what it is to be a dealer is needs to go away.

Establishing Shot

First and Foremost and in the interest of full disclosure, I am part owner of Rebekah Templeton Contemporary Art. I am starting to write this blog in the hopes of shedding light on what goes on behind the scenes of a commercial gallery that is starting out in Philadelphia. Specifically, how difficult it can be to try and sell art in Philly. I hope to entertain anyone interested in art and more specifically the philadelphia art community. While this blog will be focused on art, my knee-jerk reactions to everything else will definitely appear.

Disclaimer:
I know I'm going to say things that will rub people the wrong way. Always remember, It's Not Personal. Feel free to vent in the comments.