We were lucky to catch up with Lucy Gross recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lucy, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

SAGE is a studio and gallery space dedicated to showcasing the work of artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities. My business partner, Katie Stahl, and I met while working at another day program for adults with disabilities. While there were many talented artists in that program, we felt like their work was not seen by contemporary art audiences. In so many ways, people with disabilities are still kept separate from the larger community. When starting SAGE Studio, we wanted to highlight the work of the artists rather than focusing on their disability and introduce their art to a wider audience.

Lucy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

SAGE Studio is a studio and gallery space located in Austin, Texas. SAGE was founded in 2017. In the beginning, SAGE operated in small spaces: first at co-founder Lucy Gross’ kitchen table, then in a small, refurbished shipping container in the Govalle neighborhood of Austin, and then in a refurbished trailer within Canopy, a community of 45 artist studios and 6 art galleries in east Austin. In the fall of 2021, we had the exciting opportunity to move to a 2000-square-foot space in the main building of Canopy, surrounded by some of Austin’s best regarded art galleries. Making the move to this much larger space meant that we could work with more artists simultaneously following a set studio schedule and maintain a separate gallery space for the first time, enabling us to have more art shows, represent more artists, and bring new eyes to our artists’ work—to truly be able to give our artists the workspace and exhibition space their practices deserve. Also in 2021, SAGE officially transitioned to a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Artists in our Studio Program create work in our studio space at east Austin’s Canopy arts community with the guidance of practicing artist facilitators. Each artist has their own work station, which is outfitted with their specific supplies. The goal for participating artists is to explore new mediums, strengthen their artistic voice, and build a cohesive portfolio of work for exhibition. Participants have opportunities to learn about all aspects of being a working artist, from creation to pricing to exhibition to sale.

Through our Exhibition Program, we put on bimonthly art exhibitions in our east Austin gallery to showcase the work of our studio artists, alongside the work of exhibiting artists who create their work outside our studio. Though we started as a space for exclusively Texas-based artists, we now represent artists from across the country in our exhibitions. We also operate an online store with a wide selection of original artwork, fine art prints, and merchandise. The goal of the Exhibition Program is to provide opportunities for our artists to earn a wage and to seriously pursue a career in the arts, and to carve out a place in the contemporary art conversation and wider artistic marketplace for these talented voices. As such, our artists are paid a 50% commission, equal to the commission rate of traditional art galleries, on all original artwork sold in the gallery and online store.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Like so many businesses, the pandemic forced us to to pivot and rethink how we connected with our artists and our supporters. Prior to Covid, SAGE had only ever exhibited the work of Texas-based artists. However, during the shutdown, we launched our first ever virtual show called Home Makers, which featured work made by artists with disabilities from across the country while stuck at home. Since then, our model has shifted and we now consistently work with artists from our Studio Program as well as those who live and work elsewhere. This expansion has allowed us to celebrate and partner with programs like SAGE from all over and the artists they support.

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

Katie Stahl and I met while working at Arc of the Arts, an art-based day habilitation program for adults with disabilities. We immediately bonded over shared aesthetics and a desire to create a space in the contemporary art world for artists with disabilities. This is also where we met, Rick Fleming, who we often refer to as SAGE’s third co-founder. He was our first artist when we got started and has had an incredible career: collaborating with the Joe Biden campaign, traveling to New York for the internationally attended Outsider Art Fair, and gaining a devout following of fans and collectors.

Contact Info:

• Website: sagestudioatx.com
• Instagram: @sagestudioatx
• Facebook: facebook.com/sagestudioatx
• Twitter: twitter.com/SAGEStudioATX
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XamkCLpzYeg&t=74s

Image Credits
Brynn Osborn