Growing into an Art Businessperson, Part I:
Reversing the Downward Spiral of Quality
in Canadian Art.

by Tammy Love.



* for "Growing into an Art Businessperson, Part II", click here.
American born visual artist Tammy Love moved to Canada in 1992. Her newly opened art gallery, Hand Works, in Bloomfield, Ontario, is the result of a process of working in and thinking about art business in Canada. She started in a small studio wholesaling her work to a number of galleries across Ontario. Slowly but surely she has grown into a retail art business of her own.

Here Ms. Love discusses her view of the Canadian art system and her reasons for getting into a retail art business despite her understanding that "no one is buying" in Canada.
My family and I moved to Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada, from Ohio, U.S.A., four years ago.

In 1992, I rented a private studio. In that space I made my art and sold it through nine Ontario galleries. I did pretty well in this business. By the end of one year I was able to cover all my costs.

Soon, however, I began to feel that some of the galleries were not representing me fairly. One took liberties with my work and hung it upside down without my permission. I learned very quickly that there is a difference between consignment and having the gallery purchase your work outright -- ownership brings with it a respect for the artist and the art object for which they have just paid good money. After a number of unpleasant incidents with gallery owners, I decided to try selling my own work. In 1993, I gave up my studio and took a larger space in the same building. To keep costs manageable, I shared the gallery with another artist.

In the year that I managed my half of the gallery, I noticed two very important things. First, when people entered the gallery, they were relieved to find not a single flower painting -- which in our area, Prince Edward County, are plentiful (there are more than 150 artists here). This I interpreted as a desire for quality -- the customer was willing to buy a work (within a limited price range) but had not found much that pleased him or her. Second, I identified a hunger to interact with artwork. People wanted to touch the sculpture and to talk about the art in our gallery.

My first observation about the customer's desire for higher quality art confirmed an observation I had already made about Canadian art in general. Compared to what I have seen of American art, the quality of Canadian art is weak. For example, at a Canadian art fair I picked up a glass perfume bottle by its stopper. The artist rushed over exclaiming that the bottle would drop to the floor and break. If the bottle and stopper had been made correctly, that could never happen.

I have noticed that in Canada there is a great concern about protecting the arts and artists. I believe that this protection -- "buy Canadian", "keep American culture out" and the like -- has actually weakened the visual arts to some degree. We need some healthy, external competition to maintain the quality of artwork being produced -- which in turn, will keep customers coming back and encourage new ones. We need to bring in and import art which exhibits new ideas, techniques and solid craftsmanship. For example, Don Drumm's cast aluminum sculpted cookware. It is unlike anything I have ever seen in Canada!

Cast aluminum roaster by Don Drumm, Akron, Ohio.
Surely, we don't expect a Canadian shopper to buy artwork just because it is Canadian! For his money, the customer wants quality, Canadian or otherwise. Point in fact, no one is buying in Canada. On top of that, high calibre artists are going to the U.S. because there are markets for art there. And those who do stay, do not appear to have a good grasp on how to do business. Altogether a sorry situation.

After saying all this, it no doubt sounds crazy to open an art gallery business in Canada. However, the erosion of quality in artwork and the talent drain from Canada to the U.S. is a downward spiral which can be reversed. This is one of the reasons why I decided a few months ago to transform my art gallery, which I now run alone, into a gallery of international art. 50% of my inventory is American art. Ironic?

And briefly, to light upon my second observation about my market's desire for interactive art. My new gallery, Hand Works, sells functional art: cast aluminum sculpture that is also cookware; fruit baskets made of telephone wire; femo turtle brooches that can go through the wash. There is a need in my part of the world for original, lasting, functional artwork.

Now, I have not done a demographic study. I don't know if my customers are largely young or old, educated, female or male. I do know, however, that in one week I sold out of paper bead jewellery by a Vancouver artist. I've been open one month and tourist season hasn't begun yet. So far, my instincts have been right. However, time will tell.

My motivations in starting Hand Works Gallery are personal and political. I would like to help to improve the situation for arts people, in my area of Canada at least, by bringing in healthy competition. A pull-up your boot straps mentality may result.