Goldberg: The Woman Behind the Flame at Zenith Gallery
By Rosetta DeBerardinis
“Art is truth,” declares Margery Goldberg, the owner of Zenith Gallery in Washington, DC’s Penn Quarter who yesterday closed ONLY the doors to her downtown store front, but not her business. And, if it is truth you want, she is your lady. Ms. Goldberg is one of the most honest and outspoken members of the Greater DC art community.
“When you own your own business there is no sabbatical,” she sighs. “You work all the time.” She wants to make it perfectly clear that she is NOT closing her business, but merely changing the way she does business. The success of Zenith has been reliant upon her visibility and her relationships with the artist and art patrons along with its ties to the community. “I haven’t had a day off in years,” she declares. “I am exhausted!”
Many of the readers of this blog were not born yet when Ms. Goldberg opened the doors to her first gallery on 14th Street in 1978. There she rented a 50,000 sq. foot industrial space and nurtured and supported 50 artists. She relocated Zenith Gallery to its present location on Seventh Street in 1986. Many of the artists who began their careers with her remain affiliated with the gallery or return to exhibit in her annual anniversary show. When asked why she wanted to be responsible for the career and welfare of fifty artists, she shot back, “I always take care of everybody”. And, her care-taking extends to her family, her dog Max and to the needs of her now deceased father.
“This is a bitter-sweet moment,” she laments. “I have wanted to do this for years but I waited until I hit a good round number. Thirty is a good one, much better than 18 or twenty-five. I wanted to do it on my terms.” The petite woman with coiled hair, a boisterous voice and one of the best sock collections on the East Coast, is a tough business woman with a big heart.
She is concerned about the impact the closing will have on the downtown business district. “Zenith is more than a gallery is a close-knit part of the community,” she explains. When Zenith moved on 7th Street, it was not the upscale real estate district that it is today. The million dollar condos and the yuppie chains did not exist and the rents were reasonable. Today, it another part of the city where artists have pioneered through urban blight and can no longer afford to remain.
However, Zenith is not moving because of the absorbent rent increases. That is something Ms. Goldberg wants to drive-home. Unlike other downtown landlords and developers, hers has been most supportive and wishes the gallery would stay. Zenith is leaving its brick and mortar because its owner needs a rest and believes there is a new way to operate in the art world. Most of the staff will remain on the payroll and so will the majority of the artists it represents. Although, she did admit that this is an excellent time to sever ties with those artists who are either difficult to deal with or whose work isn’t in demand.
“When I first opened, I had this motto: Genius, good-looks and money are not an excuse to be an asshole,” she says laughing. So, if you are one of those she recommends that you find another gallery, not hers. In addition to her disdain for prima-donnas, she has no great admiration for urban developers, D.C. Mayor Fenty or the Washington Post critics since Paul Richards. She accuses the developers of raising rents sky-high making downtown real estate too expensive for small business owners and that the District of Columbia offers little support for its small businesses, especially the arts. Her mantra is, “I am mad as hell and can’t take it anymore!”
As artists continue to whine about declining sales, the absence of press coverage and high commissions few understand or care about the responsibilities of the art dealer or gallerist who is chained to a storefront operation from opening to closing, answering calls from artists and customers, paying the rent on the white cube and mounting show after show each year. She predicts that storefront commercial galleries will begin to disappear. “Nobody can afford the rent and it’s not safe anymore,” she says. It was surprising to learn that Zenith is robbed almost once a week. No, they don’t break the large glass windows that would be too obvious. Instead the thieves snatch a small piece or sculpture, a cell phone on a desk or a wallet buried deep inside an employee’s purse. Ms. Goldberg attributes the lack of police presence as part of the problem. And, when she calls the police they claim to be unable to find the gallery.
Since art dealers and gallerists are a pivotal link between artists and their public and between sellers and collectors, her prediction about the disappearance of storefronts will have a definite impact upon the local art market. If she is correct, art galleries will soon become destination points and few will be able survive in obscurity. Nor does she believe chain galleries can survive in there. When asked why so many galleries fail, she provides a direct and honest response. “Anyone can open an art gallery,” she admits. “But, they have no freaking idea how hard it is- the hard work and the hours. It is for people who need to make money, not for the rich. It is for those who need to earn a living and who have a fire in their belly.” According to Ms. Goldberg, even rich contacts are a restricted audience because patrons only purchase a limited amount of art annually. Then, there is the daily grind which is so demanding and that most people simply don’t want to work that hard, despite their love for art.
When she closes the doors to the glass fish-bowel this week, Zenith gallery will begin to operate its new format. With most of the staff continuing and the construction of a gallery in her home, Ms. Goldberg intends to cast her entrepreneurial net far and wide. She will continue to work with her stable of artists and retain a relationship with the 20,000 people in her database. Watch out, she is taking her show on the road doing traveling exhibitions, studio visits, art tours, promoting her foundation, producing and exhibiting more of her own sculpture and dreaming about the 100-acre art community she hopes to develop. She may say she is tired but her ‘to-do list’ is quite long. I predict that Margery Goldberg will sleep late a few mornings here and there and take off a day or two once in a while, but this woman with fire in her belly will remain a noticeable flame.
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Artists' Websites: Kathryn Cornelius
DC uberartist and my good friend Kathryn Cornelius was once described snarkely as a "barely emerging artist." But the snarky comment backfired and success is the best revenge, and Cornelius has become one of the district's best known and most ubiquitous artists.
And it has been a busy couple of months for her... in February she exhibited with Your Last Neighbor and Transformer at VIDEOYO! in DC... This exhibition has since travelled to Delaware, and the opening of VIDEYO! Part Deux! is at the New Wilmington Art Association tonight, 6-10pm. The show/s are curated by Breck Omar Brunson and feature DC, Philly, and NYC-based artists.
Also in February, artist Lisa Marie Thalhammer and Cornelius put on a performance event called Soup Kitchen.
The piece was a part of Transformer's Summer Camp series. You can see pics on Transformer's site here and on their Facebook profile.
Also, in December she was profiled in the DC Modern Luxury magazine (along with some other great DC art folks!).
Also, if you are in DC, next Thursday evening from 6:30-9:30pm, she will be giving an artist talk entitled "IDEAS ART FREE," presented by Meat Market Gallery as the inaugural event in their Red Tape: Artist Talks series.
My good friend Jeffry Cudlin, Director of Exhibitions at the Arlington Arts Center (and the author of Cornelius' 2007 Curator's Office solo show essay), will give an introduction and she will share some of her past works, discuss a few of the major themes explored, and give a sneak preview of a few new pieces. Please RSVP to redtape@meatmarketgallery.com if you can make it.
Visit her new website here.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Power of the Web
"The Age of Obama," my first drawing of 2009 and currently on exhibition at Projects Gallery in Philadelphia as part of their Obama-rama exhibition (which may be traveling to a few American cities and the subject of a book), through the wonders of the internets has been acquired by an Irish collector and will be on its way to Ireland at the end of the exhibition.
World History Series: The Age of Obama
F. Lennox Campello
Charcoal on paper, c. 2009
13 x 9 inches matted and framed to 24x18 inches
Opportunity for Artists
Deadline: April 30, 2009
Philadelphia's Projects Gallery has announced a call to artists for its June-July 2009 Juried Art Exhibition entitled “Summer in the City”. The steamy summer months often prompt Philly residents to flee; but for the segment that remains, there is a certain magic to the sticky days and long nights. Emerging from their wintry cocoon, Philadelphians take to the streets and stoops, bikes and bars, parks and playgrounds.
They want art that captures that unique sensibility of summer in the city with a distinct Philadelphia flavor. Entrants may present work of any media or subject, but artists must be located in the greater Philadelphia and Delaware Valley region.
They are looking to discover emerging, established and/or outsider artists with a mixed media approach and urban sensibility. The show will be displayed June 5 – August 1, 2009 at Projects Gallery in Philadelphia.
Eligibility: Open to all artists who reside in the greater Philadelphia and Delaware Valley area. Work must be original and completed within the past 2 years. Works for consideration may be of any media but must be no larger than 36” W. All work must be available for sale. Gallery commission on sales is 50%. An artist statement and resume will be required from all accepted artists. Artist is responsible for transportation of work to and from gallery. Accepted video artists must supply viewing equipment.
Prizes: A “Best In Show” prize of $300 will be awarded by artist Frank Hyder.
To Enter: There is a non-refundable entry fee of $25.00 (U.S.) per artist for up to five entries. Additional detail images are permitted. Digital files of artist statements, resumes and/or bios must be included with image entries. Submissions must be digital 300 dpi at least 8” jpg, gif or tiff format on a CD or DVD. CD/DVD will not be returned. Do not send original artwork. No slides. Please include a list of entries with the following information: artist name, titles of images, media, dimensions, date and retail price of work submitted. All entries must be received no later than April 30, 2009. Make checks payable to: Projects Gallery. If any of these requirements are not met the submission will be deemed ineligible.
Mail entries, list of entries, entry fee to:
Projects Gallery
629 N 2nd St.
Philadelphia, PA 19123
Calendar
• April 30, 2009 deadline for entries
• May 10, 2009 entrants notified
• May 30, 2009 accepted works due to gallery
• June 5, 2009 opening reception
• August 1, 2009 exhibition closes
• August 3-5, 2009 pick-up work or prepaid shipping returned
Work will be juried by Projects Gallery’s Associate Director Sequoia Medley. In addition to the exhibition, press releases and images will be sent out and the exhibition will be highlighted on the gallery’s website. Please forward this to all interested parties.
Questions? Contact info@projectsgallery.com.
