COVID-19 And Art, Time-No-Time

My friends and I named the epidemic the “TIME-NO-TIME”. But, the interaction of COVID-19 and art, the epidemic cancelled my exhibition schedule in one fell swoop. After 50 years of making and exhibiting artwork at almost all times…the work had nowhere to go. Of course, the first response was panic. In order to assert a little control over the TIME-NO-TIME, I decided to study and learn more about the trends in the global art market. I enrolled in an intensive class on artwork economics with Christie’s Auction House, studying under Dr. Clare McAndrew, a world-renowned analyst of global art business. I had been observing the changes happening re: online sales. All indications were that this segment would grow during the pandemic, reduce somewhat as it died down, but remain at 15-25% of sales going forward.

 

 

Moving Online: COVID-19 And Art

Subsequently, several things intersected. I had hired Faceless Marketing, a full-service marketing agency prior to COVID-19, to re-brand me, polish up my personal website as well as my gallery website, and create a real presence on the internet. I was looking for more ways to exhibit even though galleries and museums were shut down. The first thing I did was begin to create, small, thematic, pop-up exhibitions on my own much improved website. I started looking for ways to get the work seen in other online venues. I got my work featured in St. Petersburg, Russia, Barcelona, Spain and in France. Then an opportunity arose through a gallerist I had been in negotiation with before the shut-down: ODETTA Gallery. Like many galleries, ODETTA had been forced to close and vacate the building. They went online with the Artsy platform.

The Artsy platform, which represents art galleries, has been around for some time. I have used the platform for research and pleasure right from its inception. It is a marvelous space to see very good art and they have good editorial content. I began to exhibit on Artsy through ODETTA Digital, the new iteration of ODETTA GALLERY. Through this association I gained a broad network of artists with whom I have collaborated and experimented. From 2004-2013 I had a gallery in Minneapolis, exhibiting artwork from all over the United States.

 

The Susan Hensel Gallery

In 2013 the interior space reverted to a working studio where I continue to work on small and largescale artwork that engages both sculptural and cultural space. As the pandemic continued, I saw an opportunity to re-open Susan Hensel Gallery as an online gallery on Artsy.net, representing a small stable of Midwest artists. The need for Midwest artists to be seen by the broader market is large, and I wanted to do my part. There are so many marvelous artists toiling away all over the world, but very few get their work seen broadly. I want to do my part.
The focus of the Susan Hensel Gallery is on compelling objects, meaningful use of materials, and engaging sculpture. It is a gallery where experimental ideas and works of the hand join to create unique sensory experiences. Originally opened September 10th, 2004 Susan Hensel Gallery as a gallery/ workspace presenting 5-6 shows per year in an intimate space, with hardwood floors and high tin ceilings. Sometimes people wonder how huge changes like this affect an artist’s output. Many artists I know suffered a protracted time of stasis. I, too, was frozen in place for a while. But then I began to work with an absolute fury on work that combined my concerns with the active roll of beauty to foment change, especially climate change. In the end, this awful pandemic time, TIME-NO-TIME, has been a fruitful time of development despite dealing with COVID-19 and art simultaneously.
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