Running the gamut of the art industry with recruiting expert, Sarah Murkett

 

In an ideal world, we’d succeed based on our actual skills and performance. But in the real world, subtle perceptions and stereotypes color others’ perception.The result might be that our hard work isn’t noticed or appreciated, our effort doesn’t lead to proportional rewards, and our good ideas aren’t taken seriously. Success is about knowing who you are and using that knowledge strategically and unapologetically. 

Laura Huang, Associate Professor at Harvard Business School, author of EDGE , writes brilliantly about turning adversity into advantage. As Huang writes, “Your work matters. But it is your job to help the world see how it matters”. Creating an edge is the key to succeeding within an imperfect system.

A SECRET WEAPON IN FINDING THE JOB OF YOUR DREAMS IN THE ART WORLD IS WITH THE LRFA BLOG TODAY.

SARAH MURKETT, FOUNDER AND  OWNER AT MURK & CO. SINCE 2017, PROVIDES EXECUTIVE SEARCH AND STAFFING SOLUTIONS FOR THE ART WORLD. WITH OVER 20 YEARS IN THE ART WORLD, SARAH OFFERS HER CLIENTS AND CANDIDATES STRATEGIC ADIVCE ABOUT STAFFING ACROSS THE FIELD.

SARAH, WELCOME BACK!  WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO FORM MURK & CO.? 

Murk & Co started as an art dealership and advisory.I had been working freelance for so many years without need for a formalized company. But when I decided to go out on my own as a dealer, purchasing work and taking it on consignment, I felt the need to incorporate for personal protection from legal and financial liability should, heaven forbid, anything go wrong, even by accident, which it never did.But private art dealing is a risky business, and it is not for the faint of heart.

And as my next move, I decided to pivot to recruiting.

WHAT RECRUITING SERVICES EXISTED AT THE TIME YOU FOUNDED MURK & CO. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO LAUNCH THIS BUSINESS?

I wanted to move away from sales and do something that would take advantage of my network and put to use the knowledge I had of the different sectors of the art world.  I had also done a lot of hiring for my clients/employers, so I knew I liked recruiting and believed myself to have a successful track record in that arena.

Sarah Murkett
Founder, Murk & Co.

WHAT IS THE SCOPE OF SERVICES MURK & CO PROVIDES?

Right now I am focused on talent acquisition.  There are different levels of partnership that are offered depending on the needs of the client.  Some searches are more straight forward and I have candidates at the ready to put forward immediately, but often I am being brought in for much more complicated searches that require a deeper collaboration. 

WHO ARE THE CANDIDATES THAT AVAIL THEMSELVES OF THE EXPERTISE MURK & CO CAN PROVIDE?

Really, anyone with art world experience that is looking for a job.  And while my relationships with my candidates are the lifeblood of my business, and I have made it a goal to make the application process as humane as possible, with a high level of communication throughout the process, it should be made clear that recruiters work on behalf of the businesses who are looking for staff, rather than for the people who are looking for jobs. 

ARE YOU PRIMARILY FOCUSED ON EXECUTIVE SEARCHES AND WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST DOMINANT JOB DESCRIPTIONS THAT ARE REQUESTED?

“Executive Search” really just means recruitment at the senior level. Being engaged to work in partnership with an organization to fill these key positions is very exciting work.  I also work on a wide range of positions at varying levels. 

I read a statistic that recruiters are mainly hired for help with sales and operations related positions, both of which are critical to the running of a business, and I would say that, in general, I find that to hold true for my own recruiting business.

WHO ARE YOUR CLIENTS? IS IT LIMITED TO GALLERIES OR DOES IT COVER A BROADER RANGE OF ART RELATED BUSINESSES

It runs the gamut across the industry including auction houses, advisories, artist studios, art fairs, publications, communications firms, museums, foundations, art tech, art shipping and handling companies and much, much more.

TO WHAT AREAS OF THE COUNTRY DO YOU PROVIDE YOUR SCOPE OF SERVICES?

Anywhere that I am needed.

Sarah Murkett
Speaking to the group at Bonham’s.
Photo by Imogen Fairbairn.

WHAT ARE THE PRIMARY REQUISITES THAT YOU LOOK FOR IN POTENTIAL CANDIDATES AND IN WHAT WAYS DO YOU VET THEM? DO POTENTIAL CANDIDATES FILL OUT QUESTIONNAIRES? HOW DO THEY APPLY?

Every vacancy has its own particular requirements, and I won’t work on a search unless there is a thoughtful job description, including both the requisite hard and soft skills.  The search process isn’t about what I am looking for, but rather an effort is made to understand what my clients are looking for, and then sifting through registered candidates, applicants, and research into potential passive candidates that might be a good fit.

I meet prospective candidates in person, whenever I am able, to get a sense of their energy, personality and personal presentation, and when schedules or geography get in the way, then I start with a phone call.

I advertise positions on my own website (https://murkandco.com/) and on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/murk-&-co.), and candidates are instructed on how to apply.  They can also request to be registered in my database generally.

HOW MANY JOBS ARE AVAILABLE AT APPROXIMATELY THE SAME TIME ON YOUR SITE?

2-10

DO YOU INTERVIEW THE CANDIDATES PERSONALLY PRIOR TO HAVING THEM CONTACT THE POTENTIAL EMPLOYEE?

Yes.  And I am available to both the candidates and clients through the whole process, helping to schedule interviews, provide and discuss feedback and assistance with contract negotiations.

IN OUR NEXT LRFA BLOG, WE WILL POST SOME RECENT OPEN POSITIONS AT MURK & CO. THAT SHOW THE RANGE OF OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK IN VARIOUS SECTORS OF THE ART WORLD.

PLEASE JOIN US!

 

The art of relationships: art fairs, appraisal services, museum curators at Debra Force Fine Art

Debra Force
Art League Presents
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts

DEVELOPING A DIALOGUE WITH MUSEUM CURATORS AND MUSEUM BOARDS AND PLACING WORKS IN INSTITUTIONAL VENUES IS ONE OF THE GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF ONLY A HANDFUL OF GALLERIES.  IT REPRESENTS AN INVESTMENT OF TIME AND SCHOLARSHIP AS WELL AS ONE OF NURTURING RELATIONSHIPS. SEVERAL CONTEMPORARY GALLERIES HAVE DIRECTORS WHO FOCUS SOLELY ON CULTIVATING MUSEUM RELATIONSHIPS FOR THEIR ARTISTS, TRAVELING ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO NEGOTIATE EXHIBITIONS AND MEETING WITH BOARDS OF MUSEUMS AND CURATORS TO PRESENT WORKS BY ARTISTS THEY REPRESENT. IT IS AN ART FORM IN AND OF ITSELF.

AS THE CHICAGO APPRAISERS ASSOCIATION NOTES:

The trick to selling to museums whether it be a large institution like the Metropolitan Museum of Art or your local historical society is scholarly research, provenance and a lot of patience. Nothing moves fast with museums. They do not have to necessarily operate on at a yearly profit, so they move at their own maddening slow pace.

IT IS A MARK OF THE QUALITY OF THE WORK AND THE EXPERTISE OF THE DEALER THAT DEBRA FORCE HAS SUCH GREAT SUCCESS IN PLACING ART WORKS IN VERY PRESTIGIOUS MUSEUMS.

TODAY, THE LRFA BLOG CONTINUES ITS DIALOG WITH DEBRA TO LEARN ABOUT THIS ASPECT OF THE ART BUSINESS.

http://www.debraforce.com

DEBRA, THE GALLERY HAS AN EXTREMELY ACTIVE AND IMPRESSIVE TRACK RECORD OF STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH NUMEROUS MUSEUMS. HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT?

I started out more in the museum field and have an academic background, so have always felt a special affinity for institutions.  Throughout my career, I have made a point of visiting the curator or director of the art museum wherever I am traveling and have welcomed them to the gallery.  At times, we’ve organized small events for museum collecting groups and patrons, including special Saturday visits to discuss American art, using our inventory as visuals.  I have also spoken at various institutions and to their collecting groups, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the High Museum, etc. 

I have always attempted to match works of art with the right institution and find it rewarding to do so.  Museums to which we have sold works in recent times include:  Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Vero Beach Museum, New Orleans Museum of Art, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Montclair Art Museum, and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, among many others.

Norman Bluhm
X, 1964
Oil on canvas

WHAT WOULD YOU DEFINE AS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SALE TO A COLLECTOR AND A SALE TO A MUSEUM?

Both are rewarding, especially if helping a client build a collection; there is a sense of pride in coming up with a theme or plan and finding works to illustrate the goal.  From the museum standpoint, it is so exciting to place a work in an institution where it will be studied and admired for posterity.  It is less interesting to work with clients who are mostly buying art for decorative purposes, but it can be challenging just the same.

Martin Johnson Heade
Cluster of Roses In a Glass
Circa 1887-1895

THE GALLERY IS A REGULAR EXHIBITOR AND PARTICIPANT IN SOME VERY PRESTIGIOUS ART FAIRS. WHICH ONES DO YOU FIND THE MOST PRODUCTIVE AND WHY, IN TERMS OF ATTENDANCE, SALES AND INTRODUCING NEW COLLECTORS TO THE GALLERY? 

We do a variety of art fairs to reach different audiences.  The best one for traditional American art is the one called The American Art Fair (TAAF) which takes place every Nov. at the same time as the major American Paintings auctions.  We have sold major works there, including ones by Martin Johnson Heade, Thomas LeClear, Thomas Hart Benton, and Oscar Bluemner.  It is the only fair that extols traditional American art; no works by living artists are allowed.

Milton Avery
Pink Island, White Waves, 1959
Oil on canvasboard

Of late, because of the emphasis on art from the second half of the 20^th Century and 21^st Century, we have exhibited at the Seattle Art Fair in August and Art Miami in December.  In both cases, we have focused upon Post-War era works as well as Modernism.  These fairs give us a chance to meet new clients and to exhibit works that we do not feature in the gallery on a regular basis.  We might also show works by living artists such as Wolf Kahn, Wayne Thiebaud, or Jamie Wyeth.

John Marin
Hudson River Galley, 1911
watercolor on paper

The Art Fair, sponsored by the ADAA in New York in March, is a favorite of ours.  It also allows us to promote our 20^th-century material, generally with a thematic approach such as a tribute to the 100^th anniversary of the Armory Show of 1913, social commentary, or urban/rural landscape.  We have consistently sold well at this fair, selling works by Marsden Hartley, Walt Kuhn, Charles Sheeler, Max Weber, Charles Burchfield, John Marin, and Alice Neel, among others.

We have also tried fairs in Palm Beach and Chicago as well as others in New York, always experimenting with new venues to determine where we best fit.

THE GALLERY ALSO PROVIDES LICENSED APPRAISAL SERVICES. WHAT DOES THAT ENTAIL AND WHAT DO YOU PROVIDE?

I have been doing appraisals for over 30 years, beginning when I was at Christie’s.  We presently provide formal insurance valuations for both private collectors and museums and assist the latter with insurance figures for exhibition loans.  Over the years, we have appraised entire museum collections.  We do not presently do gift tax or estate appraisals, but we do offer consultation and recommendations for clients in need of either.

O. Louis Guglielmi
Elements of the Street, 1947
Oil on canvas

THE GALLERY TAKES WORKS ON CONSIGNMENT ON OCCASION. WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA WHEN CONSIDERING A WORK OF ART FOR RESALE?

We try to find the best quality works that we can from any period of American art, beginning in the 18^th Century up to about 1980. 

For example, we have portraits by Benjamin West and Thomas Sully, landscapes by Jasper Cropsey and Thomas Moran, still lifes by Heade and William Harnett, genre scenes by Eastman Johnson and Winslow Homer, Ashcan works by Robert Henri, William Glackens, and Everett Shinn, Modernist pieces by Stuart Davis, Marsden Hartley, and Arthur Dove, Regionalist scenes by Thomas Hart Benton, and Surrealist and Magic Realist pieces by George Tooker and O. Louis Guglielmi, among others. 

Winslow Homer
Green Apples, 1866
Oil on canvas

We attempt to find the best of any given artist and work with pieces in a variety of price ranges to accommodate clients with varying pocketbooks.  Generally, most of our inventory is on consignment; it is very difficult to buy works at auction for resale, given public access to price records on the internet.

IN OUR NEXT LRFA BLOG POST, DEBRA WILL CONTINUE TO OUTLINE THE EXTENSIVE SCOPE OF SERVICES THAT THE GALLERY PROVIDES.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING A BIRD’S EYE VIEW OF THE HIGH STANDARDS THAT THE GALLERY SETS IN PROVIDING EXPERTISE IN EVERY ASPECT OF THE BUYING, EXHIBITING AND SELLING OF AMERICA ART.

UNTIL THEN, THANK YOU ALL!

 

 

NB The works illustrated in this blog are from the gallery inventory

Curatorial legends: the life of Katharine Kuh with art historian and writer, Avis Berman

Katharine Kuh
Museum of Modern Art

THE WHITNEY MUSEUM WAS ESTABLISHED BY TWO DEDICATED WOMEN COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING THE LIVING ARTISTS OF THEIR TIME. TODAY, THE ART WORLD IS COMPRISED OF MANY POWERFUL AND INFLUENTIAL WOMEN: GALLERISTS, ART ADVISORS, AUCTION HOUSE SPECIALISTS AND DEALERS. THERE ARE BRILLIANT WOMEN CURATORS WHO HELP BUILD MUSEUM COLLECTIONS OR WORK INDEPENDENTLY CREATING COMPELLING EXHIBITIONS THAT WIDEN AND DEEPEN OUR CULTURAL AND AESTHETIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE ARTS.

Katharine Kuh. Mark Chagall and Dan Rich
Art Institute of Chicago
1958

IN TODAY’S LRFA POST, WRITER AND CURATOR AVIS BERMAN WILL DOCUMENT THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF A WOMAN OF THE LAST GENERATION OF CURATORS WHO GREATLY CONTRIBUTED TO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART.  KATHARINE KUH WAS ONE OF THE GREAT ART WORLD FIGURES OF THE MID-20^th CENTURY, FORMER CURATOR AT THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO.  LIKE JULIANA FORCE, KUH WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN SUPPORTING THE CONTEMPORARY ART OF HER TIME.

Katharine Kuh
Art Institute of Chicago
May 1951

AVIS, WHAT DREW YOU TO WRITING ABOUT HER AND CURATING AN EXHIBITION IN HER HONOR? WHAT WERE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS THAT SHE MADE?

I met Katharine Kuh in 1982 when I began conducting an oral history of her for the Archives of American Art’s special oral history project on Mark Rothko’s life and times, which was sponsored by the Mark Rothko Foundation. I was supposed to go three or four times, but she had almost total recall and what she was telling me was so interesting and compelling that I decided that I was going to keep going until the job was done. I recorded her fifteen times and, after that, we were friends. After I finished the oral history in 1983, I kept getting together with her and, as I knew more than anyone else about her professional life, she asked me to be her literary executor. In 1986 she began writing her memoirs, which she did not live to complete. So I finished them and got them published in 2005. 

Katherine Kuh: My Love Affair with Modern Art: Behind the Scenes with a Legendary Curator
by AVIS BERMAN

Katharine’s great achievement was her consistent championing of the avant-garde in a hostile environment. Chicago in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s was conservative in its artistic tastes, and it took great courage to stick to her principles. In the 1930s her gallery, which specialized in modern American and European art, was vandalized by “Sanity in Art,” a local organization rabidly advocating native regionalism and in the 1950s she was picketed outside the museum for buying a Jackson Pollock – protestors waved placards that said “Koo Koo Must Go!”

The Artist’s Voice: Talks with Seventeen Modern Artists
by Katharine Kuh

I always admired her most for her implacable belief that the center of art is not the art historian, critic, dealer, advisor, or curator – it is the artist. Katharine always hung around with artists as her best education, and I have tried to do the same.

Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney working in the Eighth Street studio

IN A CAREER AS VAST AND VARIED AS YOURS, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST OUTSTANDING HIGHLIGHTS? DO YOU FIND THAT THEY ARE MORE OFTEN AS AN ART HISTORIAN, CRITIC OR CURATOR?

I guess that the best thing I ever did was Rebels on Eighth Street, which brought a significant woman to light and established the history of an important American museum in context of seemingly no information about the subject. The book is still a part of the conversation on American art, and Force can no longer be ignored – I felt vindicated when the Whitney opened downtown last March and the gallery on the first floor was dedicated to both Gertrude Whitney and Juliana Force. In the past, only Gertrude Whitney would have been celebrated.

I am also very proud of the William Glackens exhibition. Most people have not seen the artist at his best, and we were able to bring together almost all of the top pictures under one roof. The critics, including several who had previously not been admirers, concluded that this was an artist who deserved a fresh look.

Robert Henri’s portrait of Edith Dimock Glackens

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?

I am researching an essay on Edith Dimock Glackens, William Glackens’s wife and also an artist and thorough-going feminist, and I’ve embarked on a project with the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation.

WHAT SUBJECTS WOULD YOU LIKE TO FOCUS ON IN THE FUTURE THAT YOU HAVE YET TO EXPLORE AS FULLY AS YOU WOULD LIKE, AND WHY?

I’m not ready talk about that at this time. I do want to write another book, subject to be named later.

AVIS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR GENEROUS CONTRIBUTION OF TIME AND EXPERTISE. I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR NEXT BOOK!

IN OUR NEXT LRFA BLOG, I AM DELIGHTED TO INTRODUCE FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE, MAX TEICHER OF GAGOSIAN GALLERY. MAX NOT ONLY WORKS VERY HARD BUT ALSO ALWAYS MAKES OUR COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS FUN AS WELL AS PRODUCTIVE.

PLEASE JOIN US! YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS AS FOLLOWERS AND READERS ARE MUCH APPRECIATED.