"The core of every success is a great idea," says Ann Moore.
The former corporate executive, recently turned entrepreneur, packs a lot of great insights and advice into any interview or speech she does and I’m not surprised that includes our conversation we had last week.
Ann's business story began over 35 years ago. As a Harvard graduate, she had many initial offers, but loved reading magazines and decided to pursue a career at Time Inc. Colleagues thought she was crazy because of the pay and comparative offers, but Ann is living proof that doing what you love leads to success.
I first met Ann a few years ago, when her enthusiasm for magazines had eventually led to her becoming the Chairman and CEO of Time Inc.. She was the first woman to reach this position and I was fortunate enough to meet her through The Committee of 200 (C200). I clearly remember her words from a speech she gave at a C200 mentoring program we were both attending, "You must have a life strategy. You and only you are responsible for YOUR life."
Ann retired from Time Inc. in the fall of 2010 and close friends immediately called to advise her to not commit to anything. She took to heart Nelson Mandela's statement that "’No’ is a complete sentence” and Ann appreciated the time “in between”. She noted that, "After retirement, it was such a treat to wake up and read the paper. For years I had someone summarizing all of the news for me. The time allowed me to catch up with everything that had slipped through the cracks and remember what I really loved.”
While Ann was taking her well-deserved sabbatical, she took frequent trips to San Francisco to visit her son. On one of those trips, she realized that her son and his friends had nothing on their walls. In particular, no art.
For Ann, who was a lifelong collector and on the board of The Wallace Foundation, a national philanthropy that fosters improvements in learning and enrichment of the arts for everyone, it was the unthinkable to see those close to her not invest in art. She realized it was not surprising since in recent years of budget cuts, art programs have all but vanished from schools.
"I began taking my son and his friends on art walks,” said Ann. Looking back, these walks turned out to be market research. She realized she could do the same thing in her home city of New York and soon, to her surprise, “The Curator Gallery" became her next venture. She quickly found a 1,700 square foot space at the entrance to The High Line at the corner of 23rd and 10th Avenue and turned the idea into a reality.
In March of 2014, “The Curator Gallery” opened and Ann officially started her new career as an entrepreneur. The concept behind The Curator Gallery is to have guest curators put together shows of great art at a great price. "Art doesn't have to be so out of reach in price or status that new (or even seasoned) collectors cannot participate." Everyone thinks of the million dollar auctions via Sotheby’s or Christie’s when they first picture art investments, but The Curator Gallery focuses on placing the current-day hard working, talented artists in the spotlight. Ann notes, “Every Gallery has a niche. Mine is just to sell a lot of excellent art.”
The last exhibition focused on prints, but placed examples such as Rembrandt and Warhol beside living artists that she thought compared to their work. The best part? Most of the artists didn't know about the placement until seeing the final exhibit. Needless to say, the artists were floored, and so was Ann.
Ann was beaming with happiness as she said, "It's never too late. I loved Time Inc. because I was working with extremely creative people. Now I am doing the exact same in a different setting and as an entrepreneur." She hired several incredibly talented young adults who were able to catch the vision and together, with the guest curators and countless artists, they have created an amazing success story.
From Harvard graduates and Wall Street traders to technology engineers, Ann has attracted some interesting new art buyers. She says she has invented "Tupperware parties for artists." Simply meaning, she hosts Wednesday night seminars with two focuses – how to start a collection and why you should support living artists.
Ann advises attendees to really develop confidence in their own abilities to appreciate art and not buy on impulse. As an example, Ann has actually said “no” to a few sales to encourage the buyers to come back and make sure they truly love a piece before making the purchase. “I have works in my house that ‘set my clock’ for the day. A true art investment comes when you develop an eye for art and you find a piece that speaks to you,” said Ann.
And once a purchase is made, Ann and her team follow through on art education and appreciation to the finish. Professionals will even bring the art to its new home to make sure it is at the right height and in the best possible place before hanging the piece. “After all,” Ann laughed and said, "They (the art buyers, like her son) don't even have hammers in their homes!”
Ann was fortunate to have another person buy into her concept. Curator, Rebecca Michelman was excited to help forward Ann's mission of expanding the base of new buyers for artists. Ann and Rebecca operate out of the concept that there are no rules to this business. “The freedom of entrepreneurship is that you can do what you want to do and play it by ear.” she noted. After seeing the print exhibition’s success, Ann and Rebecca plan to do another print show next year.
You don’t have to be Ann Moore to take the leap. All of us have the opportunity to trigger our entrepreneurial genius and passion at any point in life, but it takes focus and a clearly defined set of metrics to find success. For Ann, she had two core metrics: 1. Sell a lot of art. 2. Thrill them [the artists]. "If I am clear about the goals, I cannot fail. It has been a good year and we have exceeded expectations. After all, I am really happy and isn't that the point?!"
To read more about The Curator Gallery, visit their website at www.thecuratorgallery.com
