I'm starting my last week at the gallery today. Next Monday is my official last day of work. Its hard to believe that I've been here for seven weeks already! The time has flown! I can honestly say that this internship has taught me some valuable lessons. I've learned a great deal about framing--not just sticking a piece into a frame, but properly framing it and consequently adding value and visual aesthetic to the piece. Hanging the gallery has taught me much about composition and how the arrangement of pieces affects both the view of the painting and the overall air of the room. I've also gained some new research skills. Throughout my internship here, I've been researching Spanish Moss for a possible upcoming show. I've learned to use archival databases to access newly digitized manuscripts, and, with the help of our extensive library collection, I've learned how to better and more thoroughly search through books.
With the recent Palette and Palate event, I learned the ins-and-outs of preparing for a big event. More than 600 tickets were sold for the event, so much planning and preparation took place to insure that the night ran smoothly. We had to coordinate with the restaurant we were paired with and the other galleries participating. With my upcoming senior art exhibit, these newly acquired skills should come in handy.
Outside of the gallery, I've learned to live in a big and busy city! I've lived in Hopkins, SC (a town smaller than Clinton, if you can believe it!) my whole life. Sure, I've visited big cities, but I've never spent more than a week in any of them; I was just a tourist. I've had to remember to lock my doors, never try to drive during rush hour traffic, and dodge both cars and people when biking to work. I've also had to learn to budget my spending. Dining out in Charleston is a must, but it can really put a drain on the bank account. I've had to learn to grocery shop for one (not as easy of a task as it sounds) and in turn, cook for one (an even harder task).
Spending time with my brother (a resident Charlestonian) has been one of the highlights of the summer. Going from seeing him only on birthdays and holidays to having him only ten minutes down the road has truly been a blessing. I've also enjoyed hosting friends and family on the weekends. Having the guests on the weekends helps to balance the eight hour workdays.
I have gained an unimaginable amount of insight thanks to this internship. I feel better equipped for the coming semesters (especially in the art field) and better prepared for life after school. Thank you to everyone who helped get me here this summer, especially Ms. Jameison at PC Career Services, Mr. Hicklin at the gallery, and my parents and friends for all your support.
Things I am Thankful for Today:
Trevor
Ms. Linda Jameison
Mr. Hicklin and everybody else at the gallery
The 70 degree bike to work
Nikki, for a wonderful weekend
Jenna, Lauren, Kayla, and Christina, for a great Saturday visit
Meme, for promised cookies :)
Rachel - I'll see you next week!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
15 July 2009 - A Little More Responsibility
Things have picked up a bit at the gallery recently (for me, anyways). Jane Harper, the gallery manager, has left for the entire month of July for a graduate program in North Carolina. Thus, I have taken on some of her responsibilities. It sounds like a big deal, but really its not a lot. I now do all my regular intern duties but also keep care of the gallery. I make sure everything is neat and tidy, water plants, fix arrangements, answer phones, sort mail, fax bills, and help close in the evenings. My office has moved, too. I am no longer in the library upstairs, but in Jane Harper's office downstairs. I help Meredith monitor the gallery. When customers come in, I greet them and help them in any way possible. Doing so requires more knowledge than one would think. I have to know about every artist hanging, the price of everything hanging, and a little something about each piece's composition. Which brings me to another recent happening.
We've rehung the gallery! We are part of an event taking place this Friday called Palate & Palette. Each year the Charleston Fine Art Dealers' Association (a group of about 13 fine art galleries downtown) pairs a gallery with a nice Charleston restaurant (hence Palate & Palette). Tickets are $30.00, and guests walk from gallery to gallery trying different food and viewing different art. All funds from the event go to College of Charleston's Art Department for scholarships. So we took down all the paintings we had up for Spoleto and rehung more contemporary Charleston art. This was no easy feat. If you've been to the gallery, you know that we have two galleries downstairs, a viewing room, and numerous little niches and hallways. All of these areas have to be filled with new paintings. Thus, old paintings come off the walls, put into bins either upstairs or downstairs, and have their locations updated in the system. New paintings come out of bins, are put on the walls, and then have their locations updated in the system. It sounds nice and orderly written out, but in actuality, every thing's happening at the same time, some paintings don't end up getting hung and have to be put back, things have to be rearranged, furniture has to be moved, ladders have to come out - its a crazy process! But it is totally worth the effort. Once dusted and swept, a room with a new arrangement looks like a completely new gallery.
The official opening for the newly hung gallery is Friday night, alongside Palate & Palette.
Things I am Thankful for Today:
Trevor
Rachel, my summer pen-pal :)
My Grandma and Mrs. Bev for coming to lunch
My family
Taylor's reminder to write
The breeze
We've rehung the gallery! We are part of an event taking place this Friday called Palate & Palette. Each year the Charleston Fine Art Dealers' Association (a group of about 13 fine art galleries downtown) pairs a gallery with a nice Charleston restaurant (hence Palate & Palette). Tickets are $30.00, and guests walk from gallery to gallery trying different food and viewing different art. All funds from the event go to College of Charleston's Art Department for scholarships. So we took down all the paintings we had up for Spoleto and rehung more contemporary Charleston art. This was no easy feat. If you've been to the gallery, you know that we have two galleries downstairs, a viewing room, and numerous little niches and hallways. All of these areas have to be filled with new paintings. Thus, old paintings come off the walls, put into bins either upstairs or downstairs, and have their locations updated in the system. New paintings come out of bins, are put on the walls, and then have their locations updated in the system. It sounds nice and orderly written out, but in actuality, every thing's happening at the same time, some paintings don't end up getting hung and have to be put back, things have to be rearranged, furniture has to be moved, ladders have to come out - its a crazy process! But it is totally worth the effort. Once dusted and swept, a room with a new arrangement looks like a completely new gallery.
The official opening for the newly hung gallery is Friday night, alongside Palate & Palette.
Things I am Thankful for Today:
Trevor
Rachel, my summer pen-pal :)
My Grandma and Mrs. Bev for coming to lunch
My family
Taylor's reminder to write
The breeze
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
30 June 2009 - Meeting the Half-Way Point
Well, I'm half-way through with my summer internship, and I must say, time flies! I truly don't feel like I've been here for 4 1/2 weeks already. Things are taking a rather slow pace around the gallery lately; the heat has kept most people off the streets, so we're not getting so much walk-in traffic. Point being, I've had time to check out other fine art galleries in our area. In doing so, I've come to understand the proper way to display art and the improper way to display art.
A few galleries (which will stay unnamed) were less concerned with displaying the beauty and power of a few pieces of their collections than simply showing off the size and extent of their collections. These galleries simply lined the walls with painting after painting, leaving only an inch or so of wall space between each work. I mean, these galleries were crammed full of paintings! Even the lighting was displaced in a nonchalant fashion.
Some galleries, on the other hand, masterfully and tastefully hung their works according to prominence, leaving other works shelved behind the scenes, but still easily accessible for bringing out to interested clients. When hung this way, each work was given room to "breath," in a sense. Thus, the viewer is pulled into that single painting and allowed to focus on IT, not being distracted by the other million paintings surrounding it.
It is also important to consider the hanging works' compositions. Simply, a contemporary collage should not be hung adjacent to an eighteenth century portrait. Rooms should be kept in sync with each other. If you want to display contemporary works, have a contemporary room for contemporary art only.
This week has thrown into my consideration the importance of display. I immediately deemed the crammed galleries of a lower status than the aesthetically pleasing galleries simply because of the way their paintings were hung.
You tell me which is better:
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
23 June 2009 - Some of the Gallery's Masterworks
Alice Ravenel Huger Smith (1876-1958)Bridge at Lavington Plantation, 1928
Joseph Rusling Meeker (1827-1889)Lake Catahoula, Louisiana, 1887
John Adam Houston (1812-1884)
The Fugitive Slave, 1853
Elizabeth O'Neill Verner (1883-1979)February in Charleston
Hermann Herzog (1832-1932)From Staffords Island (Gulf Hammock)
Everett B. D. Julio (1843-1879)The Last Meeting of Lee and Jackson, 1869
Luther Terry (1813-1869)North and South
23 June 2009 - About the Gallery
Charleston is the embodiment of all that is Southern—an amalgam of Southern tradition, culture, and art. In the heart of the city’s historic district, the Charleston Renaissance Gallery serves as home to each of these by offering Southern masterworks of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to discerning collectors.
For over thirty-five years, the Charleston Renaissance Gallery has been hailed as the nation’s foremost dealer in fine art of the American South. Our art tells the story—the story of Southern, in pictures.
From the Charleston Renaissance Gallery website:
Established in 1972 by Robert M. Hicklin, Jr., the Charleston Renaissance Gallery is the nation’s premier dealer in fine art of the American South. Our holdings range from rare eighteenth century portraiture and engravings to acclaimed selections by lauded contemporary artists, including oils, works on paper, and sculpture. Other areas of specialization include the art of the Charleston Renaissance and selections from the estate of Elizabeth O’Neill Verner. Our art has found its way into the homes of connoisseurs around the world and into the halls of this nation’s most revered cultural institutions. A comprehensive index of artists whose works are represented in the gallery's holdings is available under the Art tab, as is a select list of institutional clients.
In addition to our complement of widely regarded exhibitions, the Charleston Renaissance Gallery has a longstanding commitment to the advancement of Southern art through scholarship. The gallery has published four major volumes on Southern art and regularly releases literary catalogues; our library and archives are unrivaled in the region.
The Charleston Renaissance Gallery is a member of the prestigious Fine Art Dealers Association (FADA), a national coalition of the most distinguished art dealers in America. As the founding member of the Charleston Fine Art Dealers Association (CFADA), the gallery participates each autumn in the Charleston Fine Art Annual, a weekend replete with exhibitions by important American artists, studio tours, and lectures.
The gallery is housed in a gracious nineteenth century building in the heart of Charleston’s historic district and features two spacious galleries along with intimate viewing rooms. Painstakingly restored to period perfection, 103 Church Street was recognized with the prestigious Carolopolis Award by the Preservation Society of Charleston in 1999.
Robert M. Hicklin, Jr. is the leading dealer in art that relates to the American South. He is the owner of Hicklin Galleries, LLC; the Charleston Renaissance Gallery; Saraland Press; and principal of Harlean Limited Partnership. Since 1972, Hicklin has handled preeminent paintings of Southern interest, including The Last Meeting of Lee and Jackson by E.B.D. Julio and important works by artists such as William Aiken Walker, Gilbert Gaul, Thomas Satterwhite Noble, Martin Johnson Heade, and Elliott Daingerfield. His clients include more than eighty museums as well as hundreds of corporate and private collectors across the South, the United States, England, Canada, and Mexico.
In 1998, Hicklin opened the Charleston Renaissance Gallery, offering discerning connoisseurs the very finest historic cultural material, including nineteenth and twentieth century oils; works on paper and sculpture; and the art of the Charleston Renaissance.
Saraland Press, the publishing arm of Hicklin Galleries, LLC has issued a series of large-format, scholarly art books. The Charleston Renaissance, a lavishly illustrated, 232-page volume, details the artistic legacy of the painters, printmakers, and photographers who spearheaded a twentieth century cultural renewal in the South's most "ancient, beautiful city." Other Saraland Press publications include: The Sunny South: The Life and Art of William Aiken Walker; Look Away: Reality and Sentiment in Southern Art; The Last Meeting’s Lost Cause; and The South on Paper: Line, Color and Light. Exhibitions related to each of these volumes have been mounted in major museums across the South. In 1992, Robert M. Hicklin Jr., Inc. celebrated its twentieth year in business with the publication of Antiquarian Pursuits, a catalogue featuring thirty-two masterworks of Southern art from the gallery's collection. Calm in the Shadow of the Palmetto and Magnolia: Southern Art from the Charleston Renaissance Gallery was released in celebration of the gallery's thirtieth anniversary in 2003.
A native of Columbus, Georgia, Mr. Hicklin attended public schools there and in Bessemer City, North Carolina before moving to Spartanburg, South Carolina in the late 1950s. Mr. Hicklin graduated from Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina in 1971 and began his career in the art business in 1972 following a tour of duty in the United States Army.
For over thirty-five years, the Charleston Renaissance Gallery has been hailed as the nation’s foremost dealer in fine art of the American South. Our art tells the story—the story of Southern, in pictures.
From the Charleston Renaissance Gallery website:
Established in 1972 by Robert M. Hicklin, Jr., the Charleston Renaissance Gallery is the nation’s premier dealer in fine art of the American South. Our holdings range from rare eighteenth century portraiture and engravings to acclaimed selections by lauded contemporary artists, including oils, works on paper, and sculpture. Other areas of specialization include the art of the Charleston Renaissance and selections from the estate of Elizabeth O’Neill Verner. Our art has found its way into the homes of connoisseurs around the world and into the halls of this nation’s most revered cultural institutions. A comprehensive index of artists whose works are represented in the gallery's holdings is available under the Art tab, as is a select list of institutional clients.
In addition to our complement of widely regarded exhibitions, the Charleston Renaissance Gallery has a longstanding commitment to the advancement of Southern art through scholarship. The gallery has published four major volumes on Southern art and regularly releases literary catalogues; our library and archives are unrivaled in the region.
The Charleston Renaissance Gallery is a member of the prestigious Fine Art Dealers Association (FADA), a national coalition of the most distinguished art dealers in America. As the founding member of the Charleston Fine Art Dealers Association (CFADA), the gallery participates each autumn in the Charleston Fine Art Annual, a weekend replete with exhibitions by important American artists, studio tours, and lectures.
The gallery is housed in a gracious nineteenth century building in the heart of Charleston’s historic district and features two spacious galleries along with intimate viewing rooms. Painstakingly restored to period perfection, 103 Church Street was recognized with the prestigious Carolopolis Award by the Preservation Society of Charleston in 1999.
Robert M. Hicklin, Jr. is the leading dealer in art that relates to the American South. He is the owner of Hicklin Galleries, LLC; the Charleston Renaissance Gallery; Saraland Press; and principal of Harlean Limited Partnership. Since 1972, Hicklin has handled preeminent paintings of Southern interest, including The Last Meeting of Lee and Jackson by E.B.D. Julio and important works by artists such as William Aiken Walker, Gilbert Gaul, Thomas Satterwhite Noble, Martin Johnson Heade, and Elliott Daingerfield. His clients include more than eighty museums as well as hundreds of corporate and private collectors across the South, the United States, England, Canada, and Mexico.
In 1998, Hicklin opened the Charleston Renaissance Gallery, offering discerning connoisseurs the very finest historic cultural material, including nineteenth and twentieth century oils; works on paper and sculpture; and the art of the Charleston Renaissance.
Saraland Press, the publishing arm of Hicklin Galleries, LLC has issued a series of large-format, scholarly art books. The Charleston Renaissance, a lavishly illustrated, 232-page volume, details the artistic legacy of the painters, printmakers, and photographers who spearheaded a twentieth century cultural renewal in the South's most "ancient, beautiful city." Other Saraland Press publications include: The Sunny South: The Life and Art of William Aiken Walker; Look Away: Reality and Sentiment in Southern Art; The Last Meeting’s Lost Cause; and The South on Paper: Line, Color and Light. Exhibitions related to each of these volumes have been mounted in major museums across the South. In 1992, Robert M. Hicklin Jr., Inc. celebrated its twentieth year in business with the publication of Antiquarian Pursuits, a catalogue featuring thirty-two masterworks of Southern art from the gallery's collection. Calm in the Shadow of the Palmetto and Magnolia: Southern Art from the Charleston Renaissance Gallery was released in celebration of the gallery's thirtieth anniversary in 2003.
A native of Columbus, Georgia, Mr. Hicklin attended public schools there and in Bessemer City, North Carolina before moving to Spartanburg, South Carolina in the late 1950s. Mr. Hicklin graduated from Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina in 1971 and began his career in the art business in 1972 following a tour of duty in the United States Army.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
16 June 2009 - Wow... into the third week!
It's hard to believe that I've already started my third week down here. In some ways, though, I feel like I've been here a lot longer. I already know my way well around Charleston (I'm learning the way through West Ashley and Mount Pleasant). I know where all the best places to eat are, and I know which streets to avoid in the morning because of slow carriages. All in all, I'm starting to feel at home--like I'm no longer a visitor, but a resident.
Things are a little slow at work this morning (It's cleaning day; we can't move around or get much work done Tuesdays until about 11--when the maids leave). So while I've got some down time, let me fill you in on the logistics of the gallery. As far as appearance, the gallery is situated at 103 Church Street, the virtual center of early Charleston. The building is a three-and-one-half story, Flemish-bond brick structure constructed by George Hoffman on a site purchased from the then US ambassador to Mexico. Mr. Hicklin purchased the building in 1996 and spent the next two years restoring it. The building won the 1999 Carolopolis Award from the Preservation Society of Charleston in recognition of its outstanding exterior rehabilitation.
The first floor houses a two room gallery, viewing room, work/packaging room, a storage hallway, two offices, a bathroom, and a kitchen. The second floor houses Mr. Hicklin's two-room office, the library, a kitchen, a bathroom, two more offices, two rooms of storage/frame bins, and another viewing room. The third floor is residential, housing two rented apartments. There is also a courtyard serving as a beautiful sculpture garden.
The structure of the company is simple. Mr. Hicklin is the owner of Robert M. Hicklin, Jr. Inc. Kim runs the gallery's finances from the Spartanburg office. Holly in Spartanburg helps with publications. Lisa in Spartanburg is our editor. Tom is the gallery director. Jane Harper is the gallery manager (and my "supervisor"). Meredith is the archivist. I am the intern. Only the four of us (plus Mr. Hicklin) work in the actual gallery in Charleston. Everything else gallery related happens at the Spartanburg office. Consequently, a lot of our communication happens via email or telephone. I thought it might have been difficult at first to run a business from so far away, but Kim actually does a stellar job handling everything, and the gallery has a great system set-up to ensure that everything that needs to get to Spartanburg actually gets there.
Our clients come from all over the US (the majority coming from the Southeast). Because we focus on Southern art (especially that of the Charleston Renaissance), many of our clients hail from South Carolina or have ties to the state. There are, however, exceptions. Since I've been here, I've seen people from as far west as Texas and as far north as Maryland. I know the gallery has clients as far a the West coast and just as far North.
The gallery is a member of the Fine Art Dealer's Association (FADA) and a founding member of the Charleston Fine Art Dealer's Association (CFADA). In addition to its wide range of exhibitions, the gallery also has a long standing commitment to the advancement of Southern art through scholarship. The gallery has published four major volumes on Southern art and regularly releases literary catalogues. The gallery's library and archives are unrivaled in the region.
I highly recommend visiting the gallery, not only for the beautiful art it displays, but for the beauty of the building itself. It's a wonderful place to get to work everyday!
Things I am Thankful for Today:
My wonderful job!
My brother Jonathan
The rain last night
The absence of rain this morning
Getting to see Trevor this weekend
My Dad's emails
Things are a little slow at work this morning (It's cleaning day; we can't move around or get much work done Tuesdays until about 11--when the maids leave). So while I've got some down time, let me fill you in on the logistics of the gallery. As far as appearance, the gallery is situated at 103 Church Street, the virtual center of early Charleston. The building is a three-and-one-half story, Flemish-bond brick structure constructed by George Hoffman on a site purchased from the then US ambassador to Mexico. Mr. Hicklin purchased the building in 1996 and spent the next two years restoring it. The building won the 1999 Carolopolis Award from the Preservation Society of Charleston in recognition of its outstanding exterior rehabilitation.
The first floor houses a two room gallery, viewing room, work/packaging room, a storage hallway, two offices, a bathroom, and a kitchen. The second floor houses Mr. Hicklin's two-room office, the library, a kitchen, a bathroom, two more offices, two rooms of storage/frame bins, and another viewing room. The third floor is residential, housing two rented apartments. There is also a courtyard serving as a beautiful sculpture garden.
The structure of the company is simple. Mr. Hicklin is the owner of Robert M. Hicklin, Jr. Inc. Kim runs the gallery's finances from the Spartanburg office. Holly in Spartanburg helps with publications. Lisa in Spartanburg is our editor. Tom is the gallery director. Jane Harper is the gallery manager (and my "supervisor"). Meredith is the archivist. I am the intern. Only the four of us (plus Mr. Hicklin) work in the actual gallery in Charleston. Everything else gallery related happens at the Spartanburg office. Consequently, a lot of our communication happens via email or telephone. I thought it might have been difficult at first to run a business from so far away, but Kim actually does a stellar job handling everything, and the gallery has a great system set-up to ensure that everything that needs to get to Spartanburg actually gets there.
Our clients come from all over the US (the majority coming from the Southeast). Because we focus on Southern art (especially that of the Charleston Renaissance), many of our clients hail from South Carolina or have ties to the state. There are, however, exceptions. Since I've been here, I've seen people from as far west as Texas and as far north as Maryland. I know the gallery has clients as far a the West coast and just as far North.
The gallery is a member of the Fine Art Dealer's Association (FADA) and a founding member of the Charleston Fine Art Dealer's Association (CFADA). In addition to its wide range of exhibitions, the gallery also has a long standing commitment to the advancement of Southern art through scholarship. The gallery has published four major volumes on Southern art and regularly releases literary catalogues. The gallery's library and archives are unrivaled in the region.
I highly recommend visiting the gallery, not only for the beautiful art it displays, but for the beauty of the building itself. It's a wonderful place to get to work everyday!
Things I am Thankful for Today:
My wonderful job!
My brother Jonathan
The rain last night
The absence of rain this morning
Getting to see Trevor this weekend
My Dad's emails
Thursday, June 4, 2009
4 June 2009 - Almost One Week!
Today was rainy. I spent most of the day simply doing research on Spanish moss and its place in Southern culture. Yesterday, on the other hand, was quite exciting. To begin, it was my birthday! What better way to spend your 21st birthday than in Charleston, right?! It was a blast. I woke up to my dad calling at 7AM to wish me a happy birthday. Thanks, Daddy. At work, we rearranged the gallery. Mr. Hicklin recently bought a HUGE solid wood table, and for the past week, its just been sitting against the wall. Well, its actually been taking up the entire left wall of the gallery, so needless to say, it had to be moved. It took all of us in the gallery, including Meredith's brother, to get the move done. The table is now appropriately in the center of the room adorned with three beautifully hand carved wooden bowls. Shortly after, Taylor and the Roosevelts (Nick's parents) took me to a nice lunch at Slightly North of Broad (S.N.o.B). I had shrimp and grits, and it was awesome. They brought me out peach cobbler with ice cream and a candle. When I got back to work, I began putting together packets of information on the artists of the pieces sold earlier in the week. When we sell a piece, we put together a folder of all the information we have on the artist and send it to the client. This way, the owner has more information on the piece they've just acquired. Well, I got a call to come downstairs, and it turns out they had gotten me a cake! So, we all sat in the viewing room and ate vanilla cake with vanilla frosting (my favorite!). Meredith put three candles on the cake and said it was for the three days I'd been there. We all laughed. After work, Taylor invited me to Ben and Jerry's for ice cream. Overall, great day. I can't believe it's been almost a week since I got here! Tomorrow will be my fifth day in the office. I can't wait to finish out the week and see what the future has in store!
Things I am Thankful for Today:
Trevor
All the calls and birthday messages - thanks everyone!
The rain
My co-workers
My mom (thanks for the beautiful card!)
Jonathon
My free month trial of Netflix (thanks to Jane Harper I got to watch X-Men tonight)
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Things I am Thankful for Today:
Trevor
All the calls and birthday messages - thanks everyone!
The rain
My co-workers
My mom (thanks for the beautiful card!)
Jonathon
My free month trial of Netflix (thanks to Jane Harper I got to watch X-Men tonight)
Monday, June 1, 2009
1 June 2009 - Day One!
So, today was my first day on the job, and things couldn’t have gone smoother! I left the house a little early so I could time my bike to work and possibly stop for some coffee. Turns out I’m only a 20-minute bike ride from the gallery! Well, when I got to work we immediately went into a meeting. Though it was pretty informal and only three of us were there, it was still my first meeting which makes it pretty exciting. Mr. Hicklin (my boss) gave me my first job—addressing and mailing. I know—a typical intern job, but the day got so much better from there. After being introduced to the stamps, envelopes, and mail corner, I got to help Jane Harper (my other boss) catalogue some new acquisitions. The gallery recently acquired six original Anna Heyward Taylor prints (these can run from $2,000 to $20,000 a piece!). I got to unframe each piece and inspect it for markings, signatures, dates and the like. Now these works are on paper and date as far back as the early 20s, so needless to say, they were pretty fragile, and I was a little nervous working with them. I learned that what one typically thinks of as aging (when the paper turns brown) is actually a form of molding called foxing, and it is not good for art! After carefully removing each piece, we took them outside to photograph (natural light is always better than artificial when photographic art) and then made “tombstones” out of the images. A tombstone is simply a thumbnail image of the work with the piece’s information underneath it (its artist, title, date, placement of any writing, etc). These tombstones are then sent out to potential clients, meaning that the piece could essentially be sold before even being viewed in the gallery.
After that, some random street people came in the gallery. Now most of our customers set-up appointments to come in and view particular pieces. Very rarely does someone come in off the street and buy an expensive piece of art. Today, however, a husband and wife came in just to look around. They collected European art, but also liked to acquire pieces by names known in the museum industry. Two pieces by Southern artist William Posey Silva caught their eye, and they ended up buying them for $81,000!! I’d call that a good day in the gallery!
As most of you know, Charleston is in the middle of the Spoleto Festival. Basically, everything is crowded and busy. The streets are busier than usual, the restaurants are full, and there is nowhere to park. Despite the crowds, I managed to grab lunch at a cute little French restaurant on Broad Street; it was inexpensive and delicious! I think this is the start of a great summer!
Things I am Thankful for Today:
Taylor (and my awesome new Spoleto poster)
Beautiful weather
PC (for the money to do this internship!)
The Charleston Renaissance Gallery (for the opportunity)
My bike and basket
JW (for finding me an awesome house with great roommates)
My comfortable bed
After that, some random street people came in the gallery. Now most of our customers set-up appointments to come in and view particular pieces. Very rarely does someone come in off the street and buy an expensive piece of art. Today, however, a husband and wife came in just to look around. They collected European art, but also liked to acquire pieces by names known in the museum industry. Two pieces by Southern artist William Posey Silva caught their eye, and they ended up buying them for $81,000!! I’d call that a good day in the gallery!
As most of you know, Charleston is in the middle of the Spoleto Festival. Basically, everything is crowded and busy. The streets are busier than usual, the restaurants are full, and there is nowhere to park. Despite the crowds, I managed to grab lunch at a cute little French restaurant on Broad Street; it was inexpensive and delicious! I think this is the start of a great summer!
Things I am Thankful for Today:
Taylor (and my awesome new Spoleto poster)
Beautiful weather
PC (for the money to do this internship!)
The Charleston Renaissance Gallery (for the opportunity)
My bike and basket
JW (for finding me an awesome house with great roommates)
My comfortable bed
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