Reflections On The East End Art Scene: 2008-2009

By Joan Baum | 4 Comments

Artist and gallery owner Hector deCordova. Photo courtesy of
deCordova Gallery

"Diamonds are forever, and so is fine art," says artist and Greenport gallery owner Hector deCordova, but while the diamond may be an extremely stable element (carbon), art is competing these days against a most unstable element - the economy. In an effort to assess the situation with an eye toward eliciting thoughts on how best the East End art community might position itself in the New Year, Hamptons.com asked a number of artists and gallery owners to comment on 2008 and make specific suggestions for 2009.

Their voices should not be taken as a consensus on a complex state of affairs that affects different kinds of dealers and artists differently. A principle of logic holds that from partial statements no valid conclusions can be drawn. Nonetheless, some of the ideas expressed here may be worth considering. As longtime Springs landscape painter Ralph Carpentier notes, "artists will keep at their art," even if they have to spend more time on other activities - teaching, carpentry, house painting, advertising - areas that have traditionally engaged working artists, especially if they are not yet established and do not enjoy the support of a financially secure partner or family.

Karen Boltax, of Boltax Gallery on Shelter Island, is now using her website to market her experience as an art director as well as a gallery owner, promoting a concept, 'Art Completes the Home,' by showing how paintings by her regular artists can enhance interior design.

Landscape painter Ralph Carpentier. Photo by Eileen Casey

Although deCordova acknowledges tough going this past year, even with price reductions of 15 percent to 20 percent and more affordable 'bin' art (unframed work), his decision to expand workshops (and exhibit student work) broadened his potential client base.

Workshops also, of course, provide reliable income, and deCordova will be offering more in 2009. These will include classes for children, a move that may attract visiting families. Greenport's monthly Gallery Walks have certainly brought more gallery drop-ins, Greenport dealers report. Besides, when a village, town, or county sponsors a studio or gallery tour (as distinct from associations that do so and charge fees), the gesture generates a sense of business and art communities working together - good PR all around. Fearrington, NC painter and mixed-media artist Carol Owen says that such local support made 2008 an "unexpectedly good year" for her.

It's important to keep in "the public eye," deCordova says, and like several other gallery owners he plans more themed shows in 2009 and more "happenings" with live music, on-site art demos, and maybe an auction afterwards, for which the gallery would impose a small entrance fee. Still, as curator and mixed-media artist Karyn Mannix discovered in 2008, even special, multi-media events do not necessarily carry the day. The usually successful Springs Invitational, even for artists who normally sell well, was down 50 percent, she notes, though less expensive pieces moved, a fact that is leading some galleries to consider mounting more holiday shows with smaller works and push to attract new collectors.

Of course, artists must promote themselves, though deCordova, not alone here, feels that collective events such as Art Hamptons and Scope may divert attention from the local scene, especially if they offer less than top-quality work, or, what abstract painter David Geiser calls "landscape, seascape tripe." Geiser, who enjoyed a one-man show in Chelsea and some commissioned work in 2008, saw "no steady action" from galleries, and the only work that sold consistently was under $3,000.

Mixed-media artist Karyn Mannix. Photo by Eileen Casey

Spanierman Gallery, however, points out that art fairs can be good opportunities for "reading the market, exposure and networking." Artists get to be seen by other galleries, in other cities, and, in turn, Long Island dealers can "check out" artists new to them. Also, Spanierman notes, "loans and consignments are not dead." The economic slowdown, the gallery adds, means that "it's a buyers market" for art as it is for houses, and a particularly opportune time for younger artists to get known. "Word of mouth" still remains the best PR.

Although the lack of sufficient exhibition space for East End artists became apparent before the downturn, artists who would prefer not to compete with people out to dine or engaging in business transactions, may want to reconsider having their paintings and sculpture seen in banks, insurance offices, and restaurants.

Former gallery owner and dedicated painter Carol McGill, who tried to make a go of it as a dealer in Charleston, SC, a gallery town if ever there was one, reports that she finally gained a new client (who bought four original works) after he saw her work in a local restaurant. Almost all of her 2008 sales, however, were $100 giclees on paper. Undaunted, she's now put her work on calendars and is also thinking about showing paintings in private homes, the homeowner inviting the viewers and the artist providing the refreshments. Geiser, understandably, cautions established artists about getting involved in "Tupperware parties."

Abstract painter David Geiser. Photo by John Wegorzewski

Of course, between expressions of avid interest - "tremendous," Spanierman noted of its end-of-the-year 'Little Gems' show - and closing a deal, there lies a huge shadow. How to close the gap in ways that respect artistic integrity and business realities? A few voices (reported Artists and Writers of East Hampton president Richard MacDonald among them) wonder if there's something to explore with landlords of vacant main street stores that might be made available for a limited-period sublet or a special high-season show. Empty storefronts do not exactly make attractive tourist sites.

Tough times can prompt imaginative solutions. As the old saw has it, necessity is the mother of invention - or could be. As Geiser points out, "The East End is art country. If hedge fund honchos are attracted to the region, it's because they want to be part of a 'dynamic, creative' art scene." There's blood in the soil here - Kline, DeKooning, Davis, Pollock, Krasner - and a host of talented heirs who would like to ensure the continuity of that heritage.

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Joan Baum lives in Springs and covers literature and the arts for print and radio.

Comments

Guest (lynndunham) from Southampton, NY says:
I keep adding posts to my blog and links to various articles about the down turn. It's a buyers market in art as well as real estate in the Hamptons. There are bargains to be had. I rather sell some art at reasonable prices than not sell any at all. But even better, I have begun renting paintings through www.artrentandlease.com which makes a whole lot of sense to the corporate buyer looking to benefit from a monthly tax deduction while avoiding a large capital outlay.

Guest (Tina Folks) from Hampton Bays says:
Well, I have to agree that necessity is indeed the mother of invention. There is an opportunity for those who see it. Therefore, presenting & marketing ourselves in new ways that are "out of the box" should be welcomed as a creative problem to solve. Reaching out in communities that are underserviced & underexposed to art might be a good place to start. Unconventional venues to exhibit our art are also great ideas, as they have worked well for my husband & I. I see the down economy as an opportunity, a challenge to do things differently. Growing pains of course are to be expected.

Guest (Gordon Matheson) from Southampton, NY says:
I believe David Geiser’s gratuitous swipe at “landscape, seascape tripe” deserves some comment. When not iced in by the weather, I go to many if not most of our local art shows. Geiser is an excellent abstract painter. Perhaps this is the reason he is offended by land and seascapes and hasn’t noticed that the local art shows contain a preponderance of art of the abstract and contemporary variety which is no better and often worse than any landscapes Geiser rates as tripe. As for 50’s abstract blood in the soil creating our art heritage, he has probably forgotten that sainted abstract blood was proceeded by the blood of landscape artists who not only created the artistic heritage of the Hamptons, they have been credited by historians as responsible for the transition from sleepy farm villages to resort destinations. You can look it up. Start with the Morans, William Merritt Chase and the Tile Club. They also have a host of talented heirs who would like to ensure the continuity of that heritage. You can start there with the local dean of landscape painters,Ralph Carpentier, whose picture you will see above David’s.

Guest (Kimberly Goff/Elaine Benson Gallery) from Bridgehampton, New York says:
I have often warned artists against the idea that art is money. Even in difficult times we need to remember that art comes from passion and is not all about money. As a gallerist, curator, and painter, I have tried to show that it is not all about profit. Art will survive! Obviously some galleries will close and we will struggle with the lack of great galleries but art is eternal. Even as some galleries close new galleries take their place. We will find ways to show, to curate, and to encourage the next generation of artists to never give up. On every level of society we need art for art sake!

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