We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Finley Cassidy. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Finley below.
Alright, Finley thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?
Growing up, I was always told (as many of us are) that if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life. My parents always encouraged me to find something I was passionate about, something that sparked joy in my soul. I knew I would be spending the majority of my life working, so I knew I needed to find something I loved. The community and life surrounding Art and its History drew me in immediately.
Art is universal; it connects people across all spaces, cultures and even through time. Two people on opposite sides of the world may speak different languages and be ignorant of each other’s existence. However, they may have both stood in front of The Execution of Lady Jane Grey, by Paul Delaroche and cried. We learn about humanity through art, and when words aren’t enough, this is how we communicate. Something lost in translation is found. There is this famous quote I love by the New York City artist Jean-Michel Basquiat: “Art is how we decorate space, music is how we decorate time.”
I hope my legacy will encompass my true passion for art, but also the impact art has on us as individuals and in a community. I want to be remembered for helping artists display and sell their work and for giving them a platform to be heard. On the other side of that, I want to connect with the buyer. I never want to sell a piece just to get it sold. Whether you’re a collector, a one-time buyer, or new to the world of art, I want to help people find the pieces that speak to them that they will love and display forever.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I graduated with my BA in Art History from The College of the Holy Cross in 2022. I am a former Division 1 NCAA athlete. I played lacrosse and found my passion for Art History during my time in school.
I now work Full-time on-site as a Gallery Administrator in Orlando at Rapid Estate Liquidators Auction & Gallery (RELAAG) and Part-time remotely as an Art Sales Agent for the emerging artist Benjamin L.M. I am very well-organized, detail-oriented and task-focused.
I started as a Gallery Assistant, focusing on item research and customer service in my previous role at RELAAG. I worked with a small team, managing message systems, addressing customer inquiries, solving problems and cataloging items for auction and storage. This role also included handling and preparing artwork for shipment and traveling. After seven months in my position, I was promoted to Gallery Administrator. This promotion included extended responsibilities in customer service, such as maintaining relationships with previous clients and initiating new client relationships, reviewing weekly expense reports, and conducting advanced research on high-end auction items.
Additional work I have done in my role includes artist statements, flyers for a local artist known as BA3 here in Orlando, and creating listings for online auctions, including photographs, descriptions and price estimates for a range of collectibles.
I am most proud of my ability to connect with both the buyer and seller. No detail goes unnoticed when working to ensure that all parties are happy with the outcome.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My main goal is to connect people through art. The art market is constantly changing and evolving, but human connection is its one constant. I want to show people of all different backgrounds that no matter how different we may seem on the outside, we are all the same underneath.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding part of working in art sales is connecting buyers to artists/works, and collectibles. It is incredible to see how much emotion a piece can evoke before any words are spoken. It is like there is a connection between them where they can stop and say, “Oh this is what I was looking for.”
The most rewarding part of working at an Auction House/Gallery is researching pieces and discovering information about each artist and the story they are telling through their work. Research can be a complex process, but once you uncover the information, you understand more about an individual and their impact on the world.
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