The Art Elevator
🎙 Episode Summary: In this powerful episode, internationally recognized appraiser and thought leader Alvah Beander returns to The Art Elevator to discuss how families can preserve cultural memory, personal property, and intergenerational wealth through art. Alvah is the founder of Legacy of Value: Art Across Generations, and the first African American fellow in arts and antiques of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. With her deep knowledge and passion, she offers transformative insights into the often-overlooked emotional and cultural significance of collections—and how to plan...
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Today we are delighted to welcome Dr. Erin Smith and Dr. Timothy Imafidon Jr, passionate art collectors and owners of Goldsboro Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics. Originally from Greensboro, North Carolina, Dr . Erin Smith completed her undergraduate education at Duke University in Durham. After her graduation she earned her Doctorate from Howard University before heading south to continue her training at Jacksonville University School of Orthodontics, earning certification in Orthodontics and Maxillofacial Orthopedics. Professionally, Dr . Smith is a member of the American Association of...
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Podcast Show Notes Makeba Boateng is a cultural strategist and the founder of Fashion Forum Africa, dedicated to preserving and promoting Ghana’s rich textile heritage and fostering sustainable fashion practices. With over three decades of experience in public relations, appraisal, and curation, she has worked on globally recognized projects, including the Victoria & Albert Museum's Africa Fashion exhibition, now touring internationally. Makeba is reshaping the narrative around African heritage and creativity for a global audience. Makeba is an Accredited Public Relations...
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Podcast Show Notes: In this episode of The Art Elevator Podcast, we are joined by Lucy Walter, Head of Small Business Partnerships at Artsy, the world’s largest online marketplace for discovering, buying, and selling fine art. Lucy shares her journey from finance to her current role at Artsy and discusses how the platform is revolutionizing the art market for small and emerging galleries. From strategies for increasing visibility to the importance of diversifying sales channels, Lucy provides invaluable insights into how galleries can thrive in the digital art world. She also...
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In this special Winter Solstice episode, recorded while basking in a welcome sunbeam, Sarah Reeder reflects on the transformative power of creativity and its role in shaping our lives. As 2024 comes to a close—a year full of challenges, growth, and connection—she shares insights on why creativity is essential, not as a luxury but as a daily source of light and inspiration. Sarah explores how the act of creating, regardless of outcome, opens new doors in our imagination and connects us to our kindred spirits, enriching our lives in profound ways. Join Sarah in reimagining creativity as an...
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Join us as we dive into the world of Kelsey Rose Williams, a design scholar, historian, photographer, and American living in France. With a passion for modern architecture, archival preservation, and cross-cultural exploration, Kelsey shares her journey through art history, her work with iconic institutions like the Eames House, and her inspirations behind her captivating Substack, Absolument. We explore her love of connecting seemingly unrelated artists, stories from her travels, and the joy of weaving together influences from art, architecture, and culture into a vibrant creative...
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In this episode we speak with returning guest Tanzy Ward, who is a scholar, book author, educator, antique jewelry dealer, & historic preservationist. Her book publications include . Her second historical non-fiction book was selected as a 2022 Contingent Book List Award for Historian Authors. Tanzy's passion for Black material culture and heirlooms has presented her with the opportunity to be featured in critically acclaimed exhibits, including Yale University's 2022 show Allegories, Renditions, & A Small Nation of Women. Tanzy's connoisseurship training...
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In this episode of The Art Elevator Podcast, Sarah Reeder and Larissa Wild speak with Vanessa and Alexander Wendl of Toad Atelier on their exhibition at Larissa Wild Fine Art: Selections from the Toad Atelier Collection. This show will feature 35 rare artifacts from their collection of over 3,000 objects that highlight the history and impact of mid-century modern design. Through this discussion, Vanessa and Alexander delve into their collecting journey, share their collecting philosophy which centers on three core principles: preservation, sharing, and enjoyment, and highlight how sharing...
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In this episode, Aubrey Catrone explains the importance of provenance, defining it as the history of ownership of an art object from its creation to the present day. She highlights the necessity of distinguishing between stated and verified provenance, emphasizing the need for supporting documentation. Aubrey discusses challenges such as the rapid pace of art transactions and the importance of trusting sources in the art market. She advises collectors to proactively ask for documentation, conduct risk assessments, and digitize their records. New technologies like blockchain and AI are...
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In this episode, Brooke Kuhnhusen shares her evolving understanding of creativity, initially seeing herself as a psychologist engaging in art, but now embracing her identity as a creative person. She discusses the therapeutic connection of creativity, highlighting its role in connecting with the deepest self through compassion, curiosity, connectedness, and creativity. Brooke emphasizes the importance of joy in the creative process, describing it as a vital, fun energy that has the ability to transform those who engage. She recounts her personal experience with land art, overcoming self-doubt,...
info_outlineHeather Bhandari (she/her) is the Co-Founder of Art World Learning (AWL): a subscription-based, online education platform to help those in the creative sector thrive by making intelligent business and financial decisions. It grew from a business and financial health conference for visual artists, named Art World Conference (AWC), which debuted in NYC in April of 2019, Los Angeles in February of 2020, and online in October of 2020. She and her AWL co-founder, Dexter Wimberly, were listed in the Observer's "Arts Power 50: Changemakers Shaping the Art World in 2019."
Heather is also an independent curator; a co-founder of the project-based curatorial team and podcast, The Remix; a trustee of Art Omi (an international artist residency in Ghent, NY); and an adjunct lecturer at Brown University where she teaches professional practice to visual arts majors. The second edition of her book, ART/WORK, was published by Simon and Schuster in October of 2017.
From 2000 to 2016 Heather was a director of Mixed Greens, a commercial gallery in Chelsea where she curated well over one hundred exhibitions while managing a roster of nearly two-dozen emerging to mid-career artists. Most recently, she was the Director of Exhibitions at Smack Mellon, a nonprofit in Brooklyn. Heather received a BA from Brown University and an MFA from Pennsylvania State University where she recently received their College of Arts and Architecture Distinguished Alumni Award. Her career began at contemporary galleries Sonnabend and Lehmann Maupin, both in New York City.
- The reality for most artists is they need to run a business as well as create masterpieces, and often incredible artists aren’t wired for the former skillset. Heather covers some of the fundamentals an artist needs to have a viable career from a business standpoint
- Learn the benefit to society at large from providing this education for artists
- While we can question the root problems that have plagued “starving” artists in making a living to survive and thrive, hear what Heather Bhandari and Dexter Wimberly are doing to turn this around and empower artists through Art World Learning