7 interview questions asked to Orlando Pelliccia
Orlando Pelliccia is the Director of the Leonard Pearlstein Gallery located in Nesbitt Hall in the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts and Design at Drexel University in Philadelphia. The Pearlstein Gallery is committed to exhibiting the work of local, national, and international
contemporary artists and designers.
1. How do you find the artists you represent?
Most of the Artists shown by the Pearlstein come by way of nomination or sponsorship fostered by a particular department or faculty member within Westphal College. About 3 shows a season are Rankin scholars and represent any number of fields pertinent to the design world or fine arts; each is nominated by a faculty member and chosen by a committee. Considerations would include pertinence to a program, excellence of the work and frequency with which the subject has been shown in the past. We rotate.
2. How do you insure their work represent your vision?
This is a college gallery and not a personal or commercial venture. Its purpose is to make available to the students and faculty outstanding work associated with the areas of study undertaken in Westphal. To that end the curatorial process does not involve a personal vision it is more a winnowing of applicants and suggestions.
3. What kind of relationship exists between you and the artist?
Very little. Our relationship is most direct with the sponsoring party and rarely with the artist.
4. How do you adjust to the fluctuating trends and consumer needs?
We don't, although we do show the work of people currently active in their fields.
5. So the art market is global. But is it efficient?
At selling work? Yes. Does that validate work as good or important? No more so than it ever has, probably very little. China and India are big in the art market these days, big money collectors and burgeoning artists but most of the new work is derivative and pretty poor. The best new work is still coming out of the US, East and West Coast, Germany, France and England. The collectors will be courted for their money and their eyes and tastes will refine, the artists will take longer.
6. Do you think the future of arts galleries will involve more partnerships and new business
models?
I don't really speculate on this issue. Galleries are almost always vanity businesses financially supported from outside sources and represent the ambition, vision and salesmanship of a singular figurehead. The financier and visionary are not always the same person but it happens. That does not preclude a sincere love for the art they show. I doubt there will be a new business model, vanity and self-promotion are pretty well covered in the field and have proven very effective.
Note: Art gallery business strategies and management differ amongst the different types of venues. Commercial galleries exhibit and sell artwork for artists sometimes processing commissioned work. Business strategies include cultivating relationships with artists, whose works fit the targeted market of the gallery, promoting artwork with press releases and exhibition events, selling artwork and booking commissioned work. Nonprofit Galleries are funded with private foundations, charities or government art grants like the National Endowment for the Arts. Nonprofit galleries often specialize in art that is specific to time periods, art movements or geographic regions. Nonprofit art gallery business strategies involve conducting fundraisers, forming relationships with charities, representing artists whose careers are just developing, applying for government grants and generating revenue from educational and exhibition operations. Nonprofit galleries must show that expenses are for charitable purposes; thus, many of these galleries provide artist representation without exhibition fees. Please note, Co-op Galleries and Museum Galleries also differ in their purpose and business strategies.
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