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

Jennifer, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

From the time I was young, when I was upset, working through something, or wanting a mental escape, I always found myself going to look at art. Specifically, contemporary art, mostly abstract minimalism. I realized over time that I am esthetically driven, heavily impacted by my visual surroundings – whether it is something that occurs naturally in my environment or something that is intentionally created. I garnered comfort from this and soon discovered that what I found so incredible about artists was their bravery. They are compelled for various reasons to create and to put that creation into the world to be judged. They do this over and over again, impacting not only themselves but others who journey into a space to interact with the object. I wanted to be a part of the ecosystem that supports that bravery and helps these individuals achieve their goals.

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

I studied Art History in college and knew I wanted to contribute and support the creative process in some way. The art world is a difficult place to earn a living and soon I discovered that I needed to make a pivot to another industry to support myself, My route to becoming an art dealer is circuitous, working in different fields, learning about strategic partnerships, marketing, and building relationships. All the while I kept one foot in the art world through collecting emerging art and advocating for artists. Eventually, I opened my first gallery in the late ’90s called Jennifer Armetta Fine Art. Our focus was emerging artists who had support on the coasts but not in the Midwest. In 2004, I was one of the founding members of Verge (now called Emerge) at the MCA Chicago. We worked to bring emerging artists into the museum’s permanent collection. I have been a dealer working to place both emerging and mid-career artists in private and institutional collections for over 20 years. In 2020, I made the decision to take on a more formal role in the art world by taking over Aspect Ratio Projects, now ENGAGE Projects. Out focus is to engage with our artists, patrons, and community. We work with both emerging and mid career conceptual artists with a focus on painting, photography and sculpture. The two pillars that the gallery stands on, and are vitally important to me, are that we advocate for our artists and educate our collectors. I do not believe that art is, or should be, inaccessible to anyone. Everyone is invited in, everyone is encouraged to be curious and enjoy what is in the space.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to create a space where everyone feels welcome and can learn about contemporary art. Our artist’s work is complex, the idea is greater than the gesture that you experience on the wall or in the space. The work is beautiful to look at but needs explaining to be understood. I look for work that you can live with and continue to learn from. We greet everyone who walks through the door, offering an overview of the exhibition if they like. We do programming around our shows that is interactive and helps people understand the work better.

My other mission is to treat each artist that we work with as an individual and a partner. We are on this journey together and it is my job to help each artist get to where they want to be. Each artist has different goals and that is the foundation of our work together.

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

Participate and be curious. In part, we do not put as much emphasis on the visual arts as other countries do. But on the other hand, the art world is not well understood and is intimidating to most people. There is plenty of art and art events out there through museums, galleries, foundations, public art, and more. We always appreciate support and attendance. It helps keep things going. So I would say, take advantage of what is out there and we will all be better for it!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.engage-projects.com
• Instagram: @engageprojects