SOURCE: ART IS MOVING
Last Thursday, Lisa and I went on an adventure. Relying on a Craigslist.org post that Lisa found, the two of us ventured down Maidenlane in San Francisco and found Otis’ Lounge. At first, it’s pretty much like every other bar in SF. Dark and small. When my eyes adjusted I noticed the art hanging on the walls. We grabbed a drink and had a seat. The live painting started about 10 minutes later.
Lisa and I met Owen Geronimo, in between his rushing around to organize the several groups he had arranged to get together that night. He told us that every First Thursday he arranges live painting events and he connects artists with bars that act as galleries.
Geronimo uses bars to introduce artists to the public, promote art, get fashion designers and models to meet, and create a scene around the visual arts.
Lisa and I asked Owen if we would answer a few questions for us about how he got where he is today and what it means to the art world when bars become galleries.
Owen Geronimo is the founder of San Francisco Art Forum, a soon to become a non-profit company to provide various art business services to the local art community. He’s the art director of Werkstatte Art Collective and the producer of the popular monthly art party called Werkstatte: First Thursdays at Otis Lounge in San Francisco. He also founded San Francisco Fashion And Merchants Alliance, Inc. last year.
1. Tell us your story.
My story? (laughs) I have lots. I don’t want to bore you. (laughs)
At this point of my life, I’m all mostly about giving what I can or what I’m able to- to anyone. It took me the past two years to rediscover my identity. It feels like it was just yesterday, when myself and my partner are sitting in a UHaul truck freezing to death in the middle of the night because we did not have a place to go home to. For whatever reason, that night was significantly special. A year prior to that, the real estate crash occurred and my whole livelihood plummeted with the market. That led to living in that Uhaul truck for a few days, a year later. From that experience, I learned that living in a UHaul truck (laughs) is not that bad. Mostly, material things became less and less important to me.
In the past year, to keep my sanity … I rediscovered myself through art. Surprisingly, I did four art shows in the past year, two of them were art auctions. I made sure that the homeless and hiv community benefited from my work. It was very gratifying. I also made sure that I volunteer at the mess hall of both Glide Memorial and Saint Vincent De Paul for the holidays.
My soul searching with a lot of fate and spirituality with my endless studies of quantum physics, finally started paying off.
Now I moved in atop (literally) of Twin Peaks next to the Sutro Tower with the greatest view of the city and sold my 3 series last year. In a matter of less than twelve months, I was able to reinvent myself as a sought after art curator and a successful event producer. I also founded a non-profit called San Francisco Fashion And Merchants Alliance, Inc. A business chamber of commerce for the fashion and art community offering various sustainable professional services to anyone that wants to get into the business of fashion.
This is the first time that I shared this story. I hope it enlightens the reader.
2. Tell us about Werkstatte (http://www.werkstatte.info/).
The idea was given to me by my partner. The original thought of the project was to be called “Haute Haus Werkstatte” but I ended up dropping the words “Haute Haus” because I did not want my fashion events to be confused with my art events.
The word “Werkstatte” however, is an homage to the art workshop: “Wiener Werstatte” in Vienna in the early 1900s that evolved from the Vienna Secession, founded in 1897. I wanted to embody the same principle of the original group that… art should be accessible to anyone.
3. Why do you promote live painting in a bar rather than holding a party in a commercial gallery setting?
Live painting in a bar with music and a bar crowd is a lot sexier. It creates more excitement and audience curiosity. Although, it’s less formal than a gallery setting. I truly believe that the artist is able to create better work in this type of condition. Both the music and the crowd provide the antithesis of the norm gallery. It also challenges the artist to become more innovative with his work. I’ve seen it, it works.
4. How does an artist get involved in your collective?
It’s very simple. I have to like their work. Their works have to be sellable. The key component is that, I have to like their personality. We have to get a long. Without those three simple formula, it will not work. They simply get involved, if I show interest with their work. Then, they get assigned an exhibit or an art event to test how the public reacts to their work.
5. Where do you think the art world is heading?
It always has been that the art heads to the die hard art collectors’ home. No matter how dire the economic climate is. Art is art. Although, the majority of the buying consumer are more frugal as of late, some still do buy art. In fact, Ian Ross just sold ten art pieces recently. So, yes, the art is heading to the die hard art buyers.
As far as the art world is concerned, I was asked to ship art to Shanghai mid of last year. There is also a huge market in the Middle East, mainly in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. Hollywood and Las Vegas are also ideal places for art due to their celebrity residents. In fact, Angelina Jolie shelled out about a million for Bansky’s work before.
I see art as a “supply and demand” product.
6. What does art mean to you?
Art is an extension of my own self that defines my inner most thoughts. It embodies all my feelings of : fear, love, anger, forgiveness, happiness, dissatisfaction and challenges. It is an expression that enables me to be unique and different at all times. It separates me from the norm. It is also very therapeutic in a very zen way.
7. Any new projects?
Yes. I’m curating a group exhibit on March through June at The Barber Lounge. I also now provide arts to Ghirardelli Square’s public area, thanks to their management team. I’m also sponsoring six artists to donate their work to the ‘Rainforest Action Network’ (RAN), in the ‘Invisible Hand of the Philanthropist’ Art Auction in Foster City next month.
Site references:
http://www.owengeronimo.com/
http://www.sffama.com/
