In April 2022, we had the pleasure of working alongside artist Rosamund Zander on her retrospective exhibition, Rosamund Zander: En Plein Air, at the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts. The show was a true masterpiece that embodied the artist's deep reverence and love for nature. With over 80 paintings on display, the exhibition transported viewers to the forests of New England, the cliffs of Costa Brava, and the groves of California, inviting them to discover the beauty in the undergrowth, outcroppings, gardens, and hillsides.

Whether it’s extravagantly carved and accented with 23 karat yellow gold or simple natural maple, a picture frame's primary goal is to protect our art. Frames create an outer shell that safeguards valuable and nostalgic works from damaging environmental conditions. But what goes into choosing the right one? When to use glazing (what even is glazing?) and how to pick a style or color? I spoke with three local framers to learn what goes into custom framing, and why it matters. Thanks to experts Liz Levitt of A Street Frames, Alex Jacobson of Adjective Art & Framing and Richard Siegel of Stanhope Framers who contributed insights and technical details for this article.

The global pandemic has affected everyone in countless ways. Adjustments we are making to our personal, lives will stay with us long after a vaccine has been distributed. The auction world is having to make similar shifts. The business, which has historically been based on splashy viewing parties, global tours and in-person sales, had to drastically rethink its model when Covid upended the Spring 2020 sales. Now that we’re seven months into the pandemic, the auction world has found its footing, thanks to continued demand and impressive cutting edge technology.

I'm excited to share two projects I've been working on that will run through the summer.

The first is a speaker series I've organized with OpenScholar around the topic "Science is Beautiful". OpenScholar helps research institutions and their faculty produce professional, research-centric websites to share with the world. Dr. Gamaliel Herrera kicked off the series last week with a discussion about how he approaches collecting contemporary art through the lens of a radiologist. Tomorrow, please tune in to Lucy Kim, who will be speaking about her artist-in-residency at the Broad Institute. For the next six weeks we will be speaking with artists, curators, collectors, scientists, professors and doctors to learn more about the intersection of the arts and science.

Simply, I help people buy, sell, and maintain their artwork.

When someone is interested in buying a piece of artwork, but not sure where to start, I help identify artwork that would be of interest to them – either purchasing from a gallery, at auction, or from the artist directly.

I organize studio visits or other in person experiences, like attending art fairs which helps provide access to seeing the artwork that they are interested in. After someone has purchased a piece of artwork, I help them with shipping, framing, installation, lighting, appraisals and collection management. I’ve helped a lot with moves or renovations – organizing, having artwork packed and stored in a fine art storage facility.

UBS recently hosted a panel to discuss the art market in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. The goal of the conversation was to assess the impact and consider the possible evolution the future art market might undergo. 

As illustrated in the graph above, this is a deeper and more pervasive crisis than the 2009 subprime mortgage recession. One attribute of 2009's rebound was the globalization of the art market that had occurred in the decade leading up to 2009 with an influx of new galleries, artists, auction houses and collectors. 

As we entered our second month amidst the devastation of the Coronavirus pandemic, we continued to look to art as a bright spot in our lives. After spending the first two weeks of social distancing cleaning out her studio, Brookline-based photographerRania Matar turned to her camera as a way of processing all that is happening around her. To document this unique moment in time and because she missed seeing people, she started a photo project called "Connections Across Barriers", shooting neighbors from behind their windows and doors.

I love the insider access many of these Podcasts provide. Guests open up and share with the hosts about their collections, productivity hacks and other fantastic advice from experts in their respective fields. 

I’ll continue to update this list as more courses and videos come online.

The kids aren't the only ones who can be home schooled. There are a wide variety of excellent courses and recorded lectures to catch up on. A few that I'm looking forward to:

• William Kentridge's 2012 Charles Eliot Norton Lectures at Harvard University. 

• MoMA is offering the course What is Contemporary Art?  In this free six week course, curators guide you through more than 70 works of art made between 1980 and the present. At the time of this email, 42,462 people were enrolled. 

I’ll continue to update this list as more museums and galleries come online.

Looking for a mystery? Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum has a walk-through with its director of security, Anthony Amore, retracing the path taken by the thieves who broke into the museum on March 18, 1990

Love Contemporary art? The Metropolitan Museum in New York produces short videos of contemporary artists talking about their favorite works in the collection. It's a wonderful series to enjoy. I particularly like hearing Nick Cave talk about his interest in the Kuba cloths. They also have a series of six short videos that invite viewers around the world to virtually visit The Met's art and architecture in a fresh, immersive way

COVID-19 has uprooted how we interact, work and live. As we change our behavior there has been a quick shift by museums, galleries, artists and other arts organizations to continue to engage and inspire their audiences. If anything, I hope that this time enables us to take stock, organize and emerge appreciating so many simple aspects of life that we can't enjoy during this time. 

Have a plan for when disaster strikes. Planning for how and who will handle your collection in an extreme event is essential to managing your collection. Take the time now to put together your priority removal list. Compile the names and numbers of art handlers, fine art storage facilities and conservators who will help execute on your plan. I work with clients to prioritize objects and build relationships with the best fine art professionals in their area.

Prevent

Last September, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston opened an all women's exhibition titled "Women Take the Floor", to highlight how few women are in museum collections (including their own).  In order to rectify these disheartening statistics, the exhibition has physical mass (hundreds of objects) and presence (on view until May 2021). I love the quote wall they use before you walk into the space, where heroes such as Faith Ringgold, Betye Saar and Ruth Asawa are quoted. Included in the wall text is the question: "Can you name 5 women artists?" This question, first posed by The National Museum of Women in the Arts based in Washington, DC, became a social media sensation when people utilized the hashtag #5womenartists last March during Women's History Month. It is a question that continues to stick with me. 

January is the most visceral of art months. One normally doesn't search for Spring paintings in April, Summer scenes in July or Autumnal landscapes in October; the other three art seasons are seasonally-agnostic. Winter is different. Come January in New England, I look forward to seeing seasonally-appropriate works of art, and a major reason is the physical impact it has on me.

Donate to your favorite arts non-profits

Artists for Humanity: a place where teens are employed to explore and express their creative abilities

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: honor the past and re-imagine the future for the 150th anniversary of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 2020

Powell Fine Art Advisory reflects on art, history, and gratitude, featuring Kent Monkman, De Buck Gallery, Native American art exhibitions, and Boston events.

Powell Fine Art Advisory shares October highlights featuring Caldwell Snyder Gallery, Crystalle Lacouture, Carly Glovinski, artwork care tips, and fall art fairs.

Powell Fine Art Advisory shares September highlights, featuring Yoshi Mizutani, Krakow Witkin Gallery, Lavaughan Jenkins, installation tips, and fall exhibitions.

Powell Fine Art Advisory shares August highlights, from coastal gallery visits and recently placed work to Lucy Kim’s studio and Nick Cave’s public art in Boston.

Powell Fine Art Advisory shares July art world notes, from recently placed work and artists to watch to Boston gallery visits, studio insights, and summer exhibitions.