Artists’ Roundtable: Approaching Galleries

Gallery representation is a goal for many artists, but one clouded by mystery and intimidation. Three experienced gallerists familiar with ArtsWorcester will break down the benefits of gallery representation, how to identify the right galleries for your work, and what you need to approach them. This is an open discussion about galleries; it is not a portfolio review.

We will hear from:

Arlette Kayafas, Gallery Kayafas, Boston, MA

Kate Rasche, George Marshall Store Gallery, York, ME

Tamar Russell Brown, Gallery Sitka, Shirley, MA

and leave lots of time for your questions. Then we’ll adjourn to the galleries for refreshments and more conversation.

Arlette Kayafas is the founder and owner of Gallery Kayafas, operating in Boston’s South End since 2003. The gallery is known for exhibiting work by renowned photographers, often pairing them with emerging artists. Arlette and her husband, Gus, have been collecting photography for more than five decades. In 2012, Gallery Kayafas expanded its programming to include contemporary painting, installation, works on paper, sculpture, and new media. Arlette is drawn to artists with a strong voice that is articulated through their work.

Kate Rasche is the director of the George Marshall Store Gallery in York, Maine, and a working artist. Over the last decade she has led and been involved in a wide range of curatorial and administrative projects, including most recently as assistant director at ArtsWorcester. Her work as a gallerist is informed by a desire to support the careers of emerging and mid-career artists. Her work in the studio grapples with explorations and understandings of place. Rasche earned a degree in studio art from Skidmore College and holds an MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and Tufts University. She lives in southern Maine with her husband and two children.

A Tennessee native with Hungarian roots, Tamar Russell Brown’s background is in print design. Mrs. Russell Brown has a certificate in photography from Cumberland University in Tennessee, an associate degree in visual communication from Nashville State Technical Institute, a BA in design from Rhode Island College (where she currently serves on the Alumni Board) and a year abroad at Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem in Budapest, Hungary. Mrs. Russell Brown operates the home studio for Sitka Creations® LLC in Central Massachusetts. She started Gallery Sitka in 2014. She is currently the Chair of the Fitchburg Cultural Alliance and serves on several local boards.

This event will take place in person at 44 Portland Street, Worcester, MA. Tea and cookies to follow. Proof of vaccination is required for this event, and masks must be worn during the panel conversation. (Masks are optional when we gather for tea and cookies in the galleries afterwards.)

This event is free to current ArtsWorcester members.

Click here to join, or renew your ArtsWorcester membership. Please contact the gallery if you are unsure of your member status: info@artsworcester.org or 508-755-5142.

We thank the Melvin S. Cutler Charitable Foundation for for their support of artists' professional development.

///// Image: Who What Where (2021) installation view, courtesy of the George Marshall Store Gallery.