In my first “grown up” job, from 1991 to 1995, I was Director of the La Luz de Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles. During that time, I was fortunate to learn from legendary gallerist Billy Shire and work with several artists who have gone on to achieve critical and financial success.
I took a break from the art world and, from 1995 through 2001, I worked as a Television and Film Production Coordinator and as a Marketing and Advertising Copywriter.
In 2001, I returned to the arts as a Private Dealer, Consultant and Curator while continuing to work as a Freelance Writer.
I moved to New York in 2005 and opened a contemporary art gallery, Sloan Fine Art, on the Lower East Side in January 2008. Over the course of four fabulous years at our location on Rivington Street, we mounted dozens of exciting exhibitions and worked with hundreds of wonderful artists. in January 2011, I launched an offshoot of the gallery called SFA Projects to allow myself, my employees, artists and extensive network of contacts in various fields, to participate in creative projects beyond the traditional scope of a gallery. SFA Projects quickly grew into a busy, full-service arts consulting agency planning and executing arts-related events, collaborating on offsite exhibitions and curatorial projects, consulting for artists, collectors and businesses, and creating innovative copy and design.
That experience lead to the next step in the evolution of Sloan Fine Art and, in late 2011, I opted not to renew the lease on the gallery’s brick and mortar location, merging Sloan Fine Art Gallery and SFA Projects into a single nomadic, creative powerhouse. Since 2012, I’ve been mounting pop up shows and continuing to participate in art fairs under the Sloan Fine Art banner. Closing the gallery’s physical space has also allowed me more time to write, work with freelance clients, guest curate, lecture at art schools, coach artists, consult for artists, collectors and businesses, and pursue all sorts of fun and interesting opportunities.
In 2015, frustrated by the lack of practical, straightforward information available to young artists I combined my three passions – writing, problem solving and the arts – and wrote my first non-fiction book, “Launching Your Art Career: A Practical Guide for Artists” (now in its 2nd edition). Since its release, I’ve been thrilled and deeply gratified to receive hundreds of kind emails and messages from artists who have found the book helpful. That experience led to launching the Practical Artists website where artists can find everything from free resources to online courses to services tailored specifically for their needs.
Off and on, and throughout my career in the arts, I’ve continued to pick up work as a Marketing and Advertising Copywriter and more recently I received training as a Social Media Strategist and Book Marketing Specialist. Those experiences and skills have proven to be extremely valuable when applied to the arts. I also write fiction, love animals, traveling and spending time with family and friends.