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

Hi Zola, thanks for joining us today. Who is your hero and why? What lessons have you learned from them and how have they influenced your journey?

There are countless women in my life and throughout history who have inspired me to be the active, driven, energetic female business owner that I aspire to be every single day. Gloria Steinem, Frida Kahlo, Billie Jean King, Michelle Obama, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Nina Simone, Malala Yousafzai, Maya Angelou, my former soccer teammates from UNC-Chapel Hill and the US National Team, the young women I coach and mentor across the globe, and my daughter are just a few that spring to mind. But the one woman who undoubtedly had the most impactful influence on my approach to running a small business is Hope Turner, the founder and former owner of my art gallery. Hope Turner established Arden Gallery Ltd. in 1987. She was creative, resourceful, and tenacious when it came to getting the business off the ground. She relied heavily on her intuition and an unwavering focus on achieving success. From the onset, Hope created a space for art collectors, artists, and all gallery visitors to feel welcome, uplifted, awed, and invigorated. I have now been the Director of Arden Gallery for 25 years and Owner for 6 years. Almost daily, I remind myself to aspire to Hope’s goals by emulating her tirelessness, her positive energy, and her joy at inviting everyone to enjoy the beauty we display on our walls, whether it is a buyer, an art student, or simply someone looking for a short respite from the elements. Arden Gallery Ltd. has been representing high quality fine art for 37 years. By using Hope’s example, I intend to continue this business for at least 37 more!

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

My name is Zola Solamente. I own Arden Gallery Ltd., located in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. I have been the Director of Arden Gallery for 25 years, and became the owner in 2018.

Arden Gallery Ltd. is a contemporary fine art gallery, known for representing internationally recognized artists on Newbury Street in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Arden Gallery Ltd. proudly displays an eclectic mix of styles, media, and subject matter. Our programming includes pop-realism, abstract, still life, figurative, landscape, photo-realism, surrealism, and photography. Arden Gallery Ltd. strives to present high quality works that captivate viewers, inspiring them to build collections that are distinctly their own.

As an undergraduate Studio Art and English Literature double-major, I really had no clue what I planned to do with my skills and passions. My very first job out of school was as the coat-check girl at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. While on a lunch break I heard about an internship at an art gallery. I was offered the position and learned on the fly. Within weeks I found myself installing a work of art which had a prestigious provenance, weighed 50 lbs, and was valued at $60,000. That was more than my annual salary! I thank the Universe that I was too young and dumb to be intimidated…and that the owner of the gallery simply trusted me to figure out how to get the job done. That sort of became my mantra from that moment on…that I would be able to rely on myself to figure out a solution to most workplace scenarios. Of course mentors, books, art periodicals, other artists & art dealers, and even YouTube have all provided a constant source of invaluable information.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I know multitudes of business owners had to pivot in massive ways when COVID hit. We too had to get creative. Our gallery represents 30 artists, all of whom rely on us in some way for their livelihood. When we were mandated to be closed for three months in 2020, one of my biggest concerns was our living, working artists. Although that idea contributed to my stress, it also informed a determination to stretch my imagination about how we could continue to reach our audience, and make sales. Since our collectors could not physically come into our space to see art on view, we really leaned into embracing our social media presence. I began posting daily images of paintings and photography both in the gallery and in home settings. I also rebuilt our website from scratch. And I began offering digital renderings to collectors to give them a sense of how the art would look in their homes. We no longer relied so heavily on foot-traffic to the gallery, but now also on alternative approaches to making the art accessible.

We are fortunate to have a big, beautiful window to Newbury Street, which typically provides great advertising to visitors who come to the city from all around the world. While tourists were absent, we noticed that locals were taking their daily strolls down Newbury Street. I began changing the art I had on display in our window each morning. We started receiving calls from people that went something like this: “Where did the piece you had in the window yesterday go? Did someone buy it? I want it!” We were extremely fortunate during COVID that many people who were trapped at home decided to refresh their spaces with new art. We also sold many works of art to people working from home who wanted to proudly display something beautiful behind them during Zoom calls.

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

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ardengallery.com
• Instagram: @ardengalleryfineart
• Facebook: Arden Gallery
• Youtube: Arden Galley

Image Credits
All photos taken by Zola Solamente. All art depicted in the photos is represneted by Arden Gallery Ltd.