We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Derrick Hamm. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Derrick below.

Derrick, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Risk is an inherent part of art and creativity. The best results I’ve personally gotten was leaving the familiar and taking a chance. Granted, the risks I take are never blind. It’s less ‘jumping off a cliff with no parachute’ but rather an amalgamation of previous experiences that I lead into different territory.

The two versions of The Eclectika were very much calculated risks. The most recent iteration is more so than the previous location. Starting an exhibition space outside of the well known art areas, in a part of town not known for an art scene, in a warehouse that, at first, looked more like a set of a horror film than a gallery? On the surface, it doesn’t seem like a winning combination. However, with the connections I had made the previous few years through 500x and over a decade of experience with exhibition planning, I had the tools to guide the space in a positive direction. About a year in, those tools and connections really did make the risk pay off. The response and participation has been more successful than I could have ever anticipated. So far the space has hosted seven exhibitions with well over 100 artists participating. This season has two more shows scheduled, and another ten are planned for the next season.

The philosophy of operation for The Eclectika is also a risk that has been paying off. I do not run the space for profit motivation, but to provide a space that allows artists to participate in low cost open calls and curators to freely plan shows as they see fit. I also do not take commission for sales, allowing artists to price their work without the typical 40-50% commission fee. That break had really helped artists that have shown in the space sell their work, my last open call had about ⅓ of the work sold. At the end of the day I break even, at best I have a little profit which I use to purchase supplies and maintenance for the gallery space. I think more than anything that’s why this location has been successful. It provides a platform for other creatives to take risks and try things within a comfortable and encouraging environment.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Derrick Hamm, art alias Anonymous Heir. I am a practicing artist, curator, and gallery owner/director residing in the DFW area. I have been a practicing artist for nearly two decades and have been doing gallery work for a little over a decade. I am a member of The 500X Gallery, the oldest artist-run gallery in Texas and one of the oldest in the US.

For my studio practice, I am currently working on a series of installation based illustrations, collectively called ‘REVENGER’. I aim to have a solo exhibition of these new works in the later half of 2024.

In addition to my studio practice, I am also the owner of and director for The Eclectika at 711 gallery, an underground art space in Irving, Texas. This is the second iteration of The Eclectika, this first being located at Galleries at Midtown in Dallas. The current season at the Eclectika is winding down, and I am actively preparing shows for the next season which will begin in the second half of the year.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My particular goal is to satisfy my curiosity with solving creative problems. Everything I make starts off as a ‘what if’ question. I find it to be an exciting way of working, and constantly looking for how to answer those ‘what if’ questions keeps me engaged with my work. I never really plot out my journey either. It surprises people, most of my work is very intricate and they assume a great deal of pre-planning is done to execute. There isn’t. The process is very organic, and is driven by the desire to satisfy my curiosity.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Thriving creative ecosystems require a place for them to thrive. Those places need to be affordable so independent, community run venues can exist. Unfortunately, those types of places are mostly unavailable now. Most of the historically affordable creative spaces in Dallas are gone, and many of the ones that exist only do so as a placeholder until they are redeveloped. It’s what is so frustrating about working in Dallas. There’s so much talent in the area, but there isn’t a robust enough infrastructure to support it. That’s not to undermine the places that do exist to fill that need, there’s just not enough places doing what they do.

Many of the independent venues that do dedicate themselves to supporting the community are pushed to diversify what they do in order to keep the doors open. It’s almost impossible to have an independently run art space started by members of the creative community without substantial private or public funding, or always being in a cash crunch. One of the reasons why my exhibition space is away from Dallas proper is due to affordability. It allows me the ability to offer a very humble platform for artists to do things the way they want to, while not having to charge them exorbitant submission fees. Aside from a few open calls that have small submission fees, most of my shows are free. I also do not take commission, which allows artists to price work lower and increase their chances of selling. That would absolutely not be viable if I were located in the traditional art districts. And I’m not very sure how long my current space will last. The days of starting an independent art space and being able to exist in the same location for decades seems to be a thing of the past. If the environment doesn’t change, which I doubt it will, there will be no independent art spaces left in Dallas.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.artbyderrickhamm.com/
• Instagram: anon_heir
• Other: The Eclectika Instagram: @theeclectika