Risky business

Fine-art galleries get creative to stay afloat amid economic gloom

What does it take to survive as a fine-art gallery in Indianapolis?

Museums have a lot going for them, including endowments, benefactors and the perception that what they do is for the greater good rather than private gain. But what about the smaller, independent galleries?

Evan Lurie, whose namesake gallery opened in Carmel 18 months ago, knows difficult times are upon him and his peers.

“The luxury business is the first to get hurt,” Lurie said. “Let’s face it, we rely on sales of art, and people don’t need art. They need a house, a car, food. Art can wait.”

Yet galleries are staying alive, even as their profit margins shrink. Many are working with other galleries around the country, combining their pool of artists so they have the best group of painters and sculptors to offer potential clients.

“That’s been a key part to our strategy,” said Jason Myers, who opened ARTBOX in Downtown Indianapolis just over a year ago. “It’s not even about holding shows for those artists, so much as having the work available for people who are looking for something to buy. It makes your stable bigger.”

As for competition, gallery owners don’t fear one another, even as the recession deepens.

“More is better, because you’re creating a scene,” said Mark Ruschman of Ruschman Gallery. “It’s not only pulling the local people in, but it builds momentum and draws other people down here to shop.”

The veteran

Ruschman Gallery, 948 N. Alabama St., (317) 634-3114 or www.ruschmangallery.com

Mark Ruschman sat on a chair, lit up by the sunlight streaming through the storefront windows of his gallery, looking like he hadn’t a care in the world. But the gallery owner’s calm is more calculated than casual.

Ruschman Gallery has been open for 24 years now, first on Mass Ave., and since 1995 in the historic St. Joseph neighborhood. It has seen ups and downs and even recessions before. The problems weren’t as deep-rooted then — the collapse not as dramatic — but it was felt, just as it is now.

In the past year, individual sales have fallen roughly 30.percent, said Ruschman, “which, for a small business, is a significant amount.” In addition, corporate sales have all but dried up. Businesses are finding it tough to justify buying art when layoffs are ever-present.

Surviving as a gallery, he said, is the same as for any small business, from “doing more right things than wrong” to “taking care of customers” to finding new ones in a world where disposable income is at an all-time low.

“People are simply not coming through the door as much,” Ruschman said. “In some respects, they’re not tempting themselves as much.”

Ruschman’s planned solution is to remain as fresh as ever, including a show in April by Arthur Liou of Bloomington, with an entire gallery devoted to three video installations, something Ruschman has never done.

“You have to find new ways to engage people,” he said. “You can’t stray too far from your core mission, but you have to make changes and adapt to the environment.”

Ruschman also relies on sales by the 50-odd artists he represents, through other institutions, as well as private commissions he organizes for them. Group shows are a good way of bringing numbers to openings, because each artist brings his or her own clique of friends, family and admirers.

Ruschman has taken the added step of teaming up with retired Herron professor and fine art printer Robert Eagerton to produce portfolios of limited- edition prints. “Portfolio 1,” for instance, is a set of six prints (with a print run of 35). An individual print costs around $550, where the original might sell for $10,000.

“It’s another way to bring new clients into the gallery, because a gallery can be a little bit intimidating for some people.”

The niche market

Kuaba, 876 Massachusetts Ave., (317) 955-8405

The patches sewn into Jayne During’s jeans are not a symbol of a poverty-stricken gallery owner — they’re simply fashion.

Although things are quiet in her small gallery space on Mass Ave., During is still able to make a living selling colorful, vibrant canvases and chaotic, almost kinetic sculptures by African artists both contemporary and traditional.

“The loyal customers are keeping me in business,” she said on a recent weekday.

“The people who have been buying from me for years are still with me.”

During has made some concessions to the recession, offering discounts on art. Sales have dropped roughly 30 to 40 percent in the past six months.

But Kuaba is not under threat, yet. The gallery is almost seven years old now, and During also sells work for the artists she represents at galleries in Chicago, and in Laguna Beach, Calif. Her national connections are as solid as her international ones.

“It’s always good to be out there exchanging works with other galleries, see what people are doing, to build those kinds of relationships.” Like with contemporary Ghanaian artist Ablade Glover, who is internationally renowned.

During is known around Indianapolis for identifying emerging talent in Africa on her frequent trips there (she is a native of Ghana) on charitable missions. She will soon travel to Zimbabwe, for instance, doing work for her charity, Kuaba Humanitarian Foundation, a nonprofit that provides for people affected by poverty and HIV.

“Whether we have money or not, the children have to eat.”

During went to Africa six times last year, and sees no reason she won’t go as often in 2009. And there is every chance she will discover a new creative spirit in need of representation — one that will fit her niche.

“It is nice to be specialized, but my market is not just in Indianapolis,” During said. “Of course, things aren’t good anywhere, but we are at least making some sales.”

During will endure. After all, “Kuaba” means faith and perseverance in the Fante language.

“We will keep going,” she said. “It will be difficult, but I won’t give up. I don’t ever give up.”

The hybrid

ARTBOX, 217 W. 10th St., Suite 125, (317) 955-2450 or www.artboxindy .com

Artist Jason Myers opened ARTBOX just over a year ago, using 15.years of art world connections throughout the country to assemble his perfect gallery and design studio.

His primary living is made through Myers Design Inc., but Myers also practices fine art himself, and promotes emerging artists around the country.

That life is now at risk, even if it doesn’t show during his busy First Friday openings every month.

“Our clients come in and love pieces and want them ….. but they’re not really pulling the trigger on purchases right now,” he said.

Myers said ARTBOX has made enough to cover the cost of operations, but has suffered a sales drop of roughly 75 percent. He is already pouring his own money into the venture, and if that continues, he knows he will have to take action, from reducing the luxury of food and drink at openings to a more limited advertising presence, to framing works only after they’re sold, instead of entire shows.

“We’ve been teaming up with sponsors, like Sushi on the Rocks, Sangiovese Ristorante, 102 West,” he said.

Myers is optimistic things will settle down in the new year, “as people get back to living their life and doing things they want to do, and not being in constant fear of economic collapse.”

“You can ride something like this for so many months, and at some point it’s a business decision,” he said. “But I definitely think if things don’t improve, a year from now who knows if we’ll be here?”

The new addition

Evan Lurie Gallery, 30 W. Main St, Carmel, (317) 844-8400 or www.evanluriegallery.com

In the center of Evan Lurie’s expansive gallery sits a soft, chocolate leather couch near a cavernous fireplace, with a lion and crown carved into the mantle.

The carving seems perfect, because Lurie is the man who would become king of the new suburban gallery in Carmel’s Arts & Design District.

“Being up here, and being able to build something of this scale, we knew we were going to be a destination,” Lurie said. “But you need half a million people living within 15 minutes to make something like this work.”

The 5,200-square-foot gallery on Carmel’s Main Street, and the public-private partnership responsible for its construction, created an aura of expectation. The city paid cash and backed loans for the majority of the building, into which Lurie also sank money.

“First one in, biggest risk,” Lurie explained. “Most people would shy away from that, unless they go in with the city, so there is a mutual investment. We need the space. We sell a lot of big stuff, and I think that’s helped us in terms of numbers, because not everyone can show large sculpture indoors.”

The gallery, which opened in late 2007, was also touted as a major step in the revitalization of the city’s oldest area by Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard, and a stepping stone to attracting other out-of-state galleries into the district.

While Lurie also runs galleries in Miami and Los Angeles, he is adamant those institutions are not propping up this one. Sales aren’t what he would like at the moment, but he recently sold a sculpture for $150,000.

Lurie also has plans for bettering the business, from extending his closing hours to midnight during the summer months, to starting an art collecting class — in effect creating an army of new buyers.

“I think the key to surviving is keeping it fresh. It’s a challenge, because it costs a lot to import works from Europe and Latin America, which is where 70 percent of my work comes from. But if you don’t rotate your work, why would anyone bother coming back?”

The gallery also makes a point to fly artists out for openings. Jorge Santos, for instance, will make the trip from Portugal for an opening in June. On a regular basis, Lurie concedes such an expense is risky.

“But you have to take the risk,” he said. “I never pull back. Always forward.”