Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Erin Schuppert. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Erin, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The core mission of Affordable Art Fair is to make collecting contemporary art more approachable and accessible to everyone and to spread the joy of collecting art. I have always found the most joy in discovering new artists at local galleries and arts organizations, yet when I began as Fair Director of the New York City editions in January 2022, I recognized that the financial barriers to entry for small emerging galleries made it nearly impossible for them to participate in our fair. This is so important to address, as small galleries who are participating in art fairs are reportedly making about 40% of their sales from these live events according to the Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report. I figured if we could remove those barriers to entry for promising up-and-coming arts organizations in NYC, we could offer them the opportunity to expose their artists to a wide collecting audience, increase art sales both at the fair and in their galleries, and build on their professional networks.

So, the Fellowship Program was born. We now partner with title sponsor Artlogic to provide three galleries underwritten space for three consecutive editions, investing in their long-term growth and success. The Program includes mentorship from our fair team and veteran galleries, as well as hands-on support and training on digital tools from the Artlogic team. Our current Fellows – Established Gallery, Eleventh Hour Art, and SHEER – are all Brooklyn-based and to see the progress of the participants over time has been one of the most rewarding professional experiences I’ve ever had. Their genuine passion and excitement about having the opportunity to present their artists to the fair’s 12,000 visitors each edition is contagious and that’s exactly what keeps the fair fun and fresh for all of us.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I pretty much knew from childhood that I wanted to work in the arts. My mother is an artist, designer, and crafter and my sister is an artist as well, who holds a degree in ceramics. I never had the touch for creating, but I had the eye for curation and the brains for operations. So, after earning a bachelors in art history and a masters in museum studies, I began working at Christie’s in administrative roles for the Watches department and the Antiquities department before moving to Commercial Finance. I learned more in that role than any other I’ve held because I had no formal finance training and things moved fast with high values at stake. I had to be humble, ask lots of questions, solve problems creatively, learn several hard skills in a short time, and learn to deliver news colleagues did not necessarily want to hear in a professional and respectful way. I’m eternally grateful for that experience.

After a couple years in business operations and finance roles at Phillips and one year at an American Art gallery, I saw the position at Affordable Art Fair open up and jumped on the opportunity. I had been a visitor to the fair for years and even a volunteer via a nonprofit partner, The Art Therapy Project. I knew I had never run an art fair before, but this is the part of the art market I’ve always been most passionate about and having learned on the job. before, I knew I could be a great fit. I was hired in January 2022 and these past two years have been the most fun I’ve ever had in my career. This role allows me to use all my past experience from my administrative, operations, and finance roles and combine it with my love for curation, client management, and programming. Plus, the fair’s mission to make collecting art more approachable and accessible aligns perfectly with my personal feelings about the art world – art should be welcoming and fun, never intimidating! I love getting to encourage people to trust their own tastes, whether they’ve been studying and collecting art all their lives or it’s their first time ever seeing original art in person. I get to work with an incredible team and we are super hands-on with our participating galleries, so just like the approachable vibe for visitors sets us apart, the inclusive relationship we have with our clients is also unique.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I think a lot of our media (publications, airtime, social media) is dedicated to the top value band of the art market. This can make it feel like that’s all there is or that that’s the only way to be successful. However, I have seen and know a lot of artists and galleries who are thriving, happily creating and promoting work at the part of the market that I work in and love – $12,000 and under. I’d love for those incredible creatives to get the spotlight more often! I want to be clear that for me, the chance to leave blue chip spaces to direct the Affordable Art Fair was aspirational, not the other way around. There is so much talent and creativity and originality happening here and perhaps most importantly, it’s just more fun and personal.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

There are two aspects of directing Affordable Art Fair NYC that I find particularly rewarding. One is working with exhibitors who have never had the opportunity to participate in a fair before, which usually happens through the Artlogic Fellowship Program. Art fairs are such an integral part of galleries’ growth in the industry, but there are many challenges facing small galleries who are just starting out, including the price of participation. Being part of an emerging gallery’s journey to scale their business, learn the ropes at fairs, tweak their exhibition style or sales approach…that’s special.

The second aspect I find incredibly rewarding is seeing a visitor to the fair who is entering a fine art space for the first time and watching them grow more confident in their own tastes over the course of their visit. Whether they take something home from the fair that day or not, the fact that they now feel welcome and comfortable in a contemporary arts environment is powerful and valuable.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://affordableartfair.com/fairs/new-york-spring/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/affordableartfairnyc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aafnyc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/affordable-art-fair/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AAFNYC

Image Credits
Phillip Reed Photography