MEET THE


EXPER T S A few years earlier, in 1996, I became a founding partner


and editor-in-chief of Art World News, a trade magazine for art galleries and custom frameshops. Its mission was, and still remains, to provide an independent voice in the industry. Our goal is to offer art and framing retailers and suppliers a platform for sharing ideas, and thereby hopefully assist others to do better business and grow the industry.


I had been a writer in the art business for several years


prior to joining Art World News. In fact, this year marks my 25th anniversary as an art writer and editor, something I am very proud of. It was my background as a reporter and later, editor, in the U.K. on a South London newspaper, and my love of art fostered by my family and also my education in a private school in England, that all came together when I began writing in the art industry.


I enjoy writing about all facets of the business, whether


Sarah Seamark


I


first met Ruth-Ann at an elegant dinner in New York for gallery owners and bright new stars of the art world. Ruth- Ann was among this elite gathering hosted by Greg Bloch (Triad Art Group) during Artexpo. This was just when she was establishing Crown Thorn Publishing and bringing on two of the most exciting artists I had seen in some time, Michael Flohr and Asencio, and then later Christopher M. She and I usually met at trade shows because at that time, in the late ’90s–early 2000, they were the hub of the art business in our part of the market—dealing in higher end decorative art, and selling limited edition prints, as well as original paintings.


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art- or framing-related because, let’s face it, framing is also a part of a gallery’s business, whether they choose to do it themselves or outsource it. I do not think you can really write in-depth on a subject unless you know a certain amount about it, so I will always be grateful that one of the leading framing suppliers enabled me to go to framing school. I have also spent time at print studios, watching the different processes for making serigraphs and original lithographs, as well as giclées. As a writer, you not only need awareness of your subject, but great contacts, and Ruth-Ann has always been one of them. A dedicated industry visionary, she is always willing to share her insights at any given time and ready to speak to what she is doing in Exclusive Collections Galleries. Such topics have included her views on the need for transparency in the size of giclée editions, so that the buyer really knows what they are buying; the need for sales training in galleries so that the gallery runs as an efficient business and the customer is appropriately served; and the importance of branding your gallery, especially when you have more than one or, in the case of Exclusive Collections Galleries, six. Such topics as these, when explored in a trade magazine, can inspire other galleries, publishers, and those in the framing community, to think of things in new ways or try new practices and procedures, so that cumulatively the industry may benefit. This is an industry full of amazing, colorful characters,


and it is an industry worth fostering. Think how much pleasure a beautiful and well-executed poster, limited edition print, painting, or sculpture can bring to new and seasoned collectors alike — and it is art galleries, and those who operate and work in them, that provide this opportunity for all of us to develop a life-long passion for art.


OFF THE EASEL MAGAZINE – SUMMER 2015


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