My perspectives on a very strange and fascinating sector of our society – The Visual Art World.

I discovered the world of visual art; the galleries, the art institutions, public art, and the auction houses, as a young adult. Although, undeniably drawn into it, almost mesmerized by it – my young Libra self was very hesitant to engage with the art world when I witnessed, what appeared to me, as pretentious lingo and fake sentiment.

Perhaps my younger self felt too poor or casual to fit in but, I eventually aged, matured and developed my bearings in this field when I decided not to fall into the pretense and not get absorbed by the ‘art of the moment’ BUT rather, I directed my focus on learning about philosophy, culture and the ‘real works of art’ that possessed some merit.

Through my academic studies, I was introduced to Socrates, Seneca, Voltaire, Mary Wollstonecraft, Pablo Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci, Jacques-Louis David, to name a few. I fell deeper and deeper in love with learning about the ways that philosophy and ART intersected, recognizing that visual art has always been a very powerful communication tool and the philosophy behind the artists’ work is what they sought to convey, the various elements of social cultures at different points in history.

I completed my studies in Curatorial Development, Theory and Criticism in Art and Design at Toronto Metropolitan University, subsequently worked in Gallery Management for eight years and to this day work as a curating artist on special projects and remain a proud member of Curators International in New York City, USA. Alas, what I can say for sure after holding this obsession with art and culture, is that it continues to teach me about the past, provides all kinds of hints to the unfolding future and proves, through every turn, that the character and lives of the artists and philosophers are what hold a significant role in the market value of it all!

I have also learned to appreciate that any pretense that exists within the visual art world, often serves the protocol of the industry (that separates the wheat from the shaft – criticism is alive and well in the art world after all) and pretense also can feed the refinement process of presenting and sustaining one’s effort working in the art world itself.

As of 2023, my years in Gallery Management are concluded, as I seek to pivot my life experiences into higher learning, research, writing, content creating and client consulting. However, I will always support the arts in one way or another, on that note, please be sure to check out these art groups that hold a special place in my heart because I have a very special relationship with; the beaux arts collective, headwaters arts gallery and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection all in Ontario Canada! Enjoy!!

Cheers to a life lived in ART,

Regan