We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ann Ziergiebel a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ann, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you come up with the idea for your business?
The girl/women I am trying to save is myself – this rescue is not, as I once thought, for my two daughters or the hundreds of adolescent girls who have sat in my humanities classroom. My personal work of saving myself requires constant scrutiny of power differentials, gender biases and the rolling ball of grief…pushing over and through the sads arriving at a moment of calm. Going from lost to found.
Seeking perspective and open space after losing my youngest daughter, Jane, and husband, John, within two years, I took a flying leap into higher education after 23 years of middle school teaching. While wobbly and overwhelmed during this transformation, our family experienced another loss, both of life and ancestral homestead property and artistically and historically prominent artifacts. My oldest daughter, Molly, existentially cried “foul” and launched an orienteering mission to locate lost family art. Four pieces of artwork emerged on her immediate horizon: two Walker Handcock basketball sculptures; a George Demetrius figure drawing of his wife – author/illustrator/Folly Cove Designer Virginia Lee Burton Demetrios; and, a bust of 5-year old me, sculpted by my ceramist/physicist grandfather, Frederick H. Norton.
These “found” artifacts acted as catalyst that Molly, myself and dear friend, creative and art historian didn’t expect – a gallery/salon in my grief-stricken and aching family home of lost Cape Ann masters’ work responsibly cleaned, archivally matted, framed and hung with a loving narrative. Cape Ann Collectors was cultivated, nurtured and continues to grow, inspire and heal six years and over 150 pieces later!
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?
Cape Ann Collectors finds, loves, restores, and displays historically and artistically significant works by prominent Cape Ann artists. Our investment impacts the quality of each piece more than the price tag – we price each piece to cover our costs, only, with a mission to welcome viewers and buyers from all socio-economic backgrounds, especially those with limited resources.
My oldest daughter, Molly, a formidable artist, art historian and fine art acquisition specialist, existentially cried “change the paradigm!” She launched an orienteering mission to locate lost family art. Four pieces of artwork emerged on her immediate horizon: two Walker Handcock basketball sculptures; a George Demetrius figure drawing of his wife – author/illustrator/Folly Cove Designer Virginia Lee Burton Demetrios; and, a bust of 5-year old me, sculpted by my ceramist/physicist grandfather, Frederick H. Norton.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
One of our favorite “lost to found” pieces involves a stunning oil by Charles Movalli, beloved Cape Ann artist. We discovered this piece in an auction house in Maine within months of Movalli passing (we only carry deceased artists). Molly’s on-site sleuthing about the piece uncovered neither name nor location – we were perplexed but enamored with the composition and unique palette (all partners must love each piece). We bid and purchased!
Our exquisitely skilled third partner, Janet, equally perplexed about the locale of this sparkling, loose harbor scene, chose and executed a gorgeous pewter-hued frame – still no clue as to the setting even as we consulted topographical charts and researched New England shorelines. We finally decided to contact the deceased artist’s wife and she immediately recognized our new “find” – it was conceived and sketched less than a mile from our gallery and due to it’s compositional integrity, became a demonstration at an art space in Portland, Maine. Hence, it’s unfinished splendor and powerful story as several months later, a gallery neighbor accurately identified each boat in the painting. Most likely, a guest at Charles’ workshop purchased this demonstration piece and released it for auction years later. A local treasure!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Cape Ann Collectors gallery is hung in three rooms and a porch in my home, open weekends with extended open hours during themed shows, happening several times a year (reflecting current acquisitions) – when we sell a piece, we purchase a new piece. All three partners have real jobs!
We enjoy having two partners present to allow for informed browsing, inquiry, and relational conversation. However, during two Covid-laden years, our operating model pivoted dramatically: boxed wine over bottles; bags of chips over yummy pastries; and uninterrupted viewing in “safe” groups while us partners remained outside at a picnic table, available for shouted inquiries and insights. We braced for “sales-disaster”…aren’t we critical to the viewing/purchasing process? Isn’t our collection theory necessary to explain? Blah, blah, blah!
Further, we encouraged viewers to just take home any pieces they liked with the instructions, “write a check for purchase or we’ll pick up at a convenient time.” Without what in our minds was critical “relational process,” we sold more pieces during Covid years than our other four relational years in operation – art speaks its own powerful language – we are merely a conduit!
Contact Info:
- Website: capeanncollectors.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/capeanncollectors