Art Evolution for creative women

Thanks to the lovely ladies at Sparkle Communications – for introducing me to Victoria Anderson and for letting me steal their blog about her and her business, Art Evolution. It’s a great platform for female artists and I’m hoping to join its ranks in the future. In the meantime, here’s a little more about it.

 

Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do

I’m a businesswoman, mum to two boys and wife to one husband. I live and work in the delightful village of Felton in Northumberland. I’m the managing director of Art Evolution, an online art gallery dedicated to female artists.

 

Art Evolution is a fantastic place for female artists to showcase their work. What inspired you to set it up?

I launched Art Evolution over 14 years ago and have taken it through a substantial transformation over the last six months.

art evo victoria 2Everyone should have access to art and the reason for setting up Art Evolution was to remove the difficulties people often face when buying artwork. To make it free of intimidation and elitism, so it’s a comfortable and enjoyable activity where the client ends up with artwork they love and at a great price. Art can be such a joy, and I want choosing and buying art to be a joy for clients too.

The art world can be complex and there are numerous artists producing work. Finding the right piece can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Art Evolution is here to ease that burden, to help clients avoid making expensive mistakes, and give them the confidence to buy artwork.

I’ve grown the business and have taken the decision for Art Evolution to become a female artist only gallery. The business ethos remains the same but my mission is now to help female artists to promote and sell their artwork in an environment where they feel empowered. A place where they can exhibit their work with other women and feel comfortable with that.

The reason? Well the art world has a glass ceiling, just as in the corporate world. For example, 72 per cent of students at University of Arts London (including Central St Martins, Camberwell and Chelsea) are women, yet only 31 per cent of artists represented by London galleries are women. Women don’t fare much better in big art prizes. For example, since The Turner Prize was set up in 1984, only five of the 31 Turner Prize winners have been women.

 

What are the most sparkly bits of what you do? 

I get to meet amazing artists, visit private viewings and source up-and-coming artists. That feels very sparkly.

Also I am very lucky to work with amazing clients, both as individuals or corporates and inspire them to purchase the artwork they’ve always wanted.

On the flipside I have the pleasure of helping artists to be paid to do something they truly love, which is to create art.

 

What about the challenges?

Working on a wide range of tasks can sometimes be challenging. I like to be at the centre of the business. This means recruiting emerging artists, meeting with private clients, attending corporate client meetings to propose artist and artwork for their office spaces, managing artwork commissions from the initial brief through to conception and liaising with architects and interior designers on projects. So it can be all-consuming at times!

 

What are your goals for the next few years?

We want to be the leading female artist online gallery. It is as simple as that. We’re focused and driven so watch this space!

 

What is your golden rule?

Work hard, have a positive mind set, learning something new every day and have fun along the way.

Leave a Comment