by Patrick Ogle

When you speak to Myrna Palley about art glass the first thing you notice are the pronouns: "we" "us" and "ours." The long-time collector of glass art, with her husband, Sheldon, views the artists, the glass galleries and other collectors as her people.

"We travel together, we visit each other's homes." she says.

Visitors to Miami Art Week can start looking at fine art as soon as they get off the plane this year. Part of the Palley's glass art collection will be gracing the American Airlines terminal at Miami International airport (concourse D 29). A
further large portion of the collection resides at the Palley Pavilion, next to the Lowe Art Museum at the University of Miami.

Palley studied art at the University of Miami and has remained connected to the school ever since.

"I feel like I live on campus. It is like I never left. My son went to law school there." she says.

Palley was an art teacher until she married, is on the board of the New World School of the Arts and a patrons (and officers) of the Ring Theatre at the University of Miami (again, with her husband). To say the arts pay a pivotal role in her life is an understatement. The Palley's are activists across a broad spectrum of arts.

"No one donates to the arts and it is so very important for mind and body. Everyone gives to diseases, and that is marvelous, but supporting the arts is something you can give to benefit people before something happens physically or mentally." she says.

The Palley's became involved in collecting glass over 30 years ago. Back then glass was seen more as a craft (today, in some cases it still is). They were attracted to the medium for numerous reasons.

"It is pure, it is filled with energy. It is a marvelous ingredient. Look at it! We were pioneers (as collectors). It is a marvelous art form. It is amazing what can be done with it, especially when combined with other materials like metal and wood," says Palley. "It is amazing what they could do with a fluid material that wound up being something you could hold. It has a life of its own. Wherever you put it it picks up something--daylight artificial light. It is sculpture that feeds from the environment. It is like a bowl of fish. The fish are always swimming around."

Despite her passion for glass art Palley says that her and Sheldon never intended to have a collection, to be "collectors."

"It got out of hand. How out of hand? We have thousands of pieces." she says.

The solution was the Palley Pavilion at the University of Miami. The collection (or much of it) went there. It is in a separate building at the Lowe Gallery. The airport exhibit came about after the Palley's were contacted by the airport.

The curator of the airport exhibit is Linda Boone. Boone and her husband opened the first glass gallery in the country in Detroit, Habatat Gallery. Boone is retired but a nephew runs the Detroit gallery and her daughter runs one in West Palm Beach. She was instrumental in the Palley Pavilion's creation. She is glass art gallerist and curatorial royalty and Palley's respect for her is effusive.

This mirrors her opinion of the early glass artists she knows and in particular those she met in the early days.

"The fact the artists, working independently, worked so hard," she says "There were no galleries and they took to a brand new field but they thought enough of that they were doing to go into the shows and craft fairs."

These artists were running head first into an art form that was not considered fine art and that was, indeed, a complicated and expensive sort of art to produce was a leap of faith. The Palleys were there, right there, believing with them. Typing words cannot convey, adequately, the passion in Palley's voice as she speaks of the early glass artists.

One artist, who Palley rates as the A+++ of glass artists, is Dan Dailey. He perhaps comes from a slightly later period but the route he chose and the work he creates still reminds of the era a moment before he began. When Dailey is mentioned Palley notes he is coming to visit her for Miami Art Week (read an old interview with Dailey HERE). Palley's collection includes half a dozen pieces from Dailey. His work includes pieces in a myriad of styles over his long career. Dailey's
wife, Linda McNeil is an jewelry artist in her own right. 

by Patrick Ogle

Pinta Miami (December 5 to 9, 2018) is the first fair, operating during Miami Art Week, to focus entirely on Latin American art during Miami Art Week.  Certainly you see Latin American art within various fairs but no fair, until Pinta, focused entirely on the region.

"From its beginnings, Pinta broke into the art scene almost as a sort of revelation about how the manifestations of modernity in Latin American art were not only parallel but in many cases preceded those that would appear in the United States. And this teaches that the history of art can be told in many ways," says Diego Costa Peuser, Executive Director of Pinta and a founder of the fair. "Pinta bringstogether the most influential figures of modernity, and at the same time highlights a key horizon for contemporary art. Certainly, in a globalized world art should travel without borders but,  with some exceptions, The South had been inserted into the world scene just a couple of decades ago. So, if someone wants a true understanding of the present state of contemporary art, they should look at the fair. I mean, in the history books of art in this country it is not even mentioned that a Chilean, Roberto Matta, was the great pioneer of North American abstract expressionism."

Just a few years ago knowledge of the great artists of Latin America, true masters, was sorely lacking. A small group, of course, were aware of these masters but broader recognition in the art world was simply not there (to say nothing of the world in general). The information was not there. Things have changed.
 
"There is a growing awareness of the value and importance of Latin American art, but without a doubt I think that Graciela Speranza is right when she writes: that although art should stand by itself without reference to the origin, we must invent strategies 'until in the global map that decomposes and recomposes in the 21st century, the art of Latin America becomes part of the visible world, and no longer included just cover the condescending quota'," says Peuser. "Because of factors outside of art, what gets created in the world’s epicenters achieves greater resonance, and is inserted into the world scene, but that does not mean that it has by itself more value than what is created in the south."

Just because the American segment of the art world is not aware of something doesn't mean it doesn't exist. And, while the notion of a borderless, open art world where national and cultural boundaries do not exist is ideal? It isn't, in fact, what exists. Pinta works with artists whose work is historically significant, artists that are in the middle of their careers and emerging artists. In some cases established artists of Latin America are "emerging artists" in the north.

"Pinta devotes a large space to curatorships that allow one to see - as in the model of pavilions of the Venice Biennial--the best artists from some countries. And those sections include both established artists as well as mid-career and
emerging," he says. "Do not forget that the fair had a decisive role in the rediscovery of Carmen Herrera, and I’ll give you another example; in 2016 a curated section gave ample space to Jorge Eduardo Eielson, and we even reconstructed one of the historical installations. Not long after, Andrea Rosen began to represent him in New York. And I would dare to say that we are in a climate where discoveries do not only operate in the emerging category but also with artists who were ignored for many years."

Pinta, like many fairs, has sections and special exhibitions. How do they keep it fresh year to year?

"First, we invite large collections that display their components with great care. Just walking through them is a lesson in itself. We have had for example the Capriles Brillembourg Collection of Venezuela, the Jorge Perez Collection, the
Tiroche deLeon Collection, the Waismann Collection, and this year we invited the INELCOM  Contemporary Art Collection of Spain," says Peuser.

Pinta also has sections inside the country pavilions: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Spain and Mexico. Curators are invited to include special projects that coincide with their research.

"Jesús Fuenmayor explores the work of emerging artists concerned with the environment. Roc Laseca works with gallerists to display individual works in their own cabinets. Aluna Art Foundation gathers the effective look of a group of Venezuelan artists on the architecture of Caracas, as a critical mirror," he says. "Everywhere, there are clear signs that allow one to recognize the collections, the pavilions and the curated projects, but everything is integrated at the same time into to the body of the fair constituted by the galleries."

Miami Art Week has, for years, been a massive flood of art, an avalanche of art and it expands every year. Even within this context there is room for something new--education, experience and more.

"In the middle of the saturation of the market, there is still space for those who, beyond the social event, need to understand the stories that art tells. From prehistory to today there is something in art that saves, and saves us. Art has transformed the city, has created new districts and displacements, but its effect penetrates all strata," he says. "The art of the street is a visible trace of it, but also the way in which--after the fair--alternative art spaces, temporary galleries and a series of initiatives are reactivated is also the effect of a place that concentrates the art of the art world into a week."

Visit Pinta during art week to see these stories art tells.

by Patrick Ogle

Stoney Road Press, from Dublin, Ireland, is an independent fine art print studio. Their collection of print works represents a wide variety of styles and methods. Pieces from Stoney Road are held in noted private and public collections around the world including: the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Boston Public Library, The Arts Council, Princeton University and many more. They are the only independent commercial fine art print studio in Ireland.
 
Stoney Road are coming to Miami Beach for the tenth time as part of Ink Miami 2018 December 5 to 9, 2019, at the Dorchester Hotel (1850 Collins Ave,, Miami Beach).

"It has become a very important part of our art fair calendar. Coming only weeks after the main IFPDA New York print Fair--a lot of conversations begun with clients in New York get completed at INK," says co-founder, David O’Donoghue. "We have more space to show work and more time to engage with clients than we have in New York. Ink is a very friendly fair; people really enjoy it and frequently rank it amongst their favorite fair in Miami."

Ink Miami is dedicated to printed work (although you may see the occasional piece that is not a print). They are also unique in that they open earlier than other fairs. You can go to Ink with your morning coffee in hand.

"So each morning, Ink  gets lots of visitors enjoying coffee and croissants from our breakfast trolley while visiting each of the booths. It is very easy and relaxed," says O’Donoghue. "They then head off feeling replete to the madnesses of Miami and the other art fairs--only to return later that day to INK to collapse on your couch,to enjoy your air conditioning and a complementary cold beverage while regaling you with tales of their art fair adventures that afternoon."

This year Stoney Road is showing pieces by Dorothy Cross and Brian Duggan.

Cross, best known as a sculptor, will be showing work, collectively titled, Medusae. It is a continuation of the artist's obsession with the ocean. These prints of jellyfish glow in the dark (yes, there will be a dark room where you can see this). O’Donoghue says that the word "jellyfish" is a beautiful word in the Irish language, smugairle róin.

"This is pronounced SMUGLELY ROIN--the literal translation of which in English is "seal snot’-- not so lovely!" he says.

They are also working on a glow in the dark jellyfish t-shirt which may be ready for the fair. It is to be hoped the shirt says "seal snot" somewhere on it.

Duggan's work, in neon, is titled I fell in love with the wall and is inspired by Sam Morgan Storm. Morgan is one of the few female "Wall of Death" riders. She got her start, at the age of 15, working at the Dade County Motordrome. Over her career she was injured man times. She passed away in 2008 at the age of 53. The Wall of Death is a circular, mesh globe and inside is a daredevil riding a motorcycle. How anyone even thought of this as an attraction boggles the imagination and it is as dangerous as it is fascinating.

Ink Miami gives each exhibitor a room at the hotel to show work.

"The scale of the rooms at INK gives an opportunity to showcase a lot more works than we have at IFPDA. We bring a large selection of works by a variety of artists. You can rest assured that the very artist you decide not to bring to INK one year is the artist that a client will ask for when visiting. So I kind of have to bring everything!" says O’Donoghue "We always aim to have a number of new works & projects which visitors/clients like to see. Then there are the favourites--like the Donald Teskey carborundum seascapes. We bring the acrylic plates the prints were made from and examples of the prints broken down into the sequence of plates showing how the image is developed. Visitors love to see this as it really helps explain how the process works-that these prints are all hand made by the artist, hand inked by the master printers at Stoney Road Press and not just reproductions of a painting."

Stoney Road have been in business for 18 years, initially working mostly with Irish artists but recently expanding to include artists from the U.K. and the United States. Ink Miami, and other art fairs around the world, are an important, even essential, part of Stoney Road's bottom line.

"We are based in Dublin--with a very modest (that's being generous) art market. For the past 10 years we have been exhibiting in the US at art fairs in New York, Miami, L.A., Palm Springs, San Francisco and Portland. This year we added Cleveland to the list and we hope to show in Seattle later this year," says O’Donoghue. "I would say about 50 percent of our turnover comes from the Art fairs. As an art  publisher getting access to this very large art audience is an essential part of our business and one we couldn’t achieve at home in Dublin. It's amazing how people know us from San Francisco and then see us in New York or when they are in London in May when we are showing at the London Original Print Fair at the Royal Academy."

Another important part of the fair is putting the art in context for viewers. You can see the art on the website but you cannot exchange stories with the artists or gallery owners.  

"I enjoy meeting people at the fairs. I like talking about the artists we work with and the how the works were made. There are stories and anecdotes about the artists )and) visitors to our booths enjoy hearing these tales. It brings the
works to life."  he says.

O’Donoghue also takes some time for himself during Miami Art Week (as every exhibitor should).
 
"I swim every day at dawn on South Beach. It's a wonderful start to the day watching the sun rise." he says.

It is to be hoped O’Donoghue knows it is Portuguese man o' war season in December. That is one seal snot encounter to be avoided.

by Patrick Ogle

Jerald Melberg, the name behind Charlotte’s Jerald Melberg Gallery (Charlotte), has a little advice for prospective gallery owners.

“If you want to make a small fortune in the gallery business, start with a large one.” he says.

Melberg's gallery will be on hand for the most important art event in the United States, Art Week in Miami. The gallery will, again, be part of  Art Miami (One Herald Plaza, Miami). The fair takes place December 4 to 9, 2018.

“I like this fair because the dealers are friendly, the fair goers are friendly, and feel like they can find something at Art Miami that they would like to own and can afford,” says Melberg. “It also gives me the opportunity to be in front of thousands of collectors that I wouldn’t normally have opportunity to meet.”

Melberg’s gallery represents an eclectic group of artists including Wolf Kahn, Susan Grossman, Esteban Vicente and Raul Diaz. When asked how he chooses the artists to represent or show, Melberg gives two answers.

“The short answer is, very carefully. The longer answer is I choose my artists emotionally and how they speak to me and are they saying something that contributes to society,” he says “ I do not choose them because they may be popular or easy to sell. If I believe in them, I can convince others to do so as well.”

Confidence is, no doubt, part of being a success in the art world.

One artist whose work will certainly catch your eye at the Jerald Melberg Gallery booth is Wolf Kahn. Kahn was born in Germany but came to the USA as a teenager in 1940.  He spent time in the U.S. Navy and , in perhaps the best use of the G.I. Bill ever, he studied with Hans Hofmann in New York.  He was one of a group of Hofmann students who started Hansa Gallery. Kahn's work blends the abstract with the figurative and his palette (colors he uses) has been compared to an array of artists; It is really his own creation because his work is unique in both color and form. He is, to put it succinctly, one of the world's most important living artists. 

“I had been aware of Wolf’s work since I was in my 20s. At 31 I became curator at the Mint Museum here in Charlotte and I proposed doing an exhibition for Wolf. On my next trip to New York I met with Grace Borgenicht, Wolf’s dealer at the time, to discuss the possibility of an exhibition,” says Melberg. “She informed me that a museum tour was being organized and the only slot left coincided with an opening on the Mint Museum’s calendar. Grace asked me if I had ever met Wolf. When I told her I hadn’t, she picked up the phone, ‘Hello Wolf, there’s a young curator here from the Mint Museum. I’m going to send him down to the studio to meet you’.”

A meeting with an artist of Kahn’s stature might be nerve-wracking even with more than a minutes notice.

“The next thing I knew I was ringing the buzzer on Wolf’s studio door, doing so with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation. The studio was on the top floor of a four story walk up. At the first landing I took a 180 degree turn.” he says. “As I turned again at the next landing, there were two flights of stairs straight up, ending at Wolf’s door. The door opened and there stood Wolf Kahn in his white painter’s smock with brush in hand. He was silhouetted by the window behind him, the sunlight forming a halo around his head. As I climbed those last two flights, I truly felt I was ascending to the heavens. I was awestruck. I still am today.”

There is a tendency to think of art as being some rareified thing that only the denizens of New York care about. Yet people in the rest of the country, including the Southeast,  have managed to come out of their caves to form vibrant arts communities. Atlanta, Miami and Charlotte all have vibrant arts communities. For galleries, as cities grow, in size and economically, the market for art correspondingly rises.

“As a city, Charlotte is growing like a weed. I have lived here now for forty years and the changes are so dramatic that you can hardly speak of them. It is a booming, vital place, but I cannot exist from it completely. That is why I do art fairs.” he says.

Many galleries show work at a number of fairs during Art Week in Miami. Some galleries do it memorably while some do it forgetably. Melberg’s advice to galleries coming to Miami for the first time is simple.

“Don’t try to be something you’re not. Don’t go borrowing works from others to bolster your look. Show the artists you believe in.” he says.

The work you see here is from the gallery’s current exhibition of work by Charles Basham and an upcoming exhibition of work from Robert Motherwell. The Motherwell pieces are coming directly from The Dedalus Foundation and have never been seen previously.

“I am also working on the catalogue raisonne of the graphic works of Romare Bearden. Should be published in about a year.” he says.

Always keep an eye open for what the gallery is doing--from noted artists like Bearden, Motherwell and Bashen to contemporary artists with unique and stunning work. Melberg is enthusiastic about the art he shows and the process of showing it.

“I recently turned 70 and I’m still at it. I still want to be at it.” he says.

Drop by the Jerald Melberg Gallery booth at Art Miami to see all the artists they are bringing along.