Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate James.
Kate, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
When I was a child we visited the Philadelphia Art Museum often and I was given freedom to roam the galleries. In high school I studied art history with a gifted teacher, Barbara O’Brien, at The Shipley School and was inspired to continue those studies at Barnard College and Columbia University in New York where there were great art history professors. Barbara Novak was my advisor and I wrote my thesis on the sublime and 19th Century American Landscape Painting. After school I worked with George Adams at The Allan Frumkin Gallery in New York as well as several other galleries in New York and Boston and then ran The Artful Hand, a contemporary American craft gallery during the 80’s craft boom. I joined the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum board about 10 years ago and became fascinated with contemporary art. I currently am the Executive Director at Concord Center for the Visual Arts, or Concord Art. I started here 4 years ago, but Concord Art has been around for 100 years. Started by another woman form Philadelphia, Elizabeth Wentworth Roberts, it’s a place with fascinating history and vital contemporary art exhibitions and classes.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I would say the biggest struggle I have encountered has been about whether I should work in art administration and curatorial or if I should I pursue a career in art making. At this point art making is in the background, but I have been fortunate to have a job I love so no complaints.
Please tell us about Concord Art.
Concord Arts mission has not changed over the last hundred years “To promote and advance the visual arts and artists, and to enrich and sustain our cultural community”.
In the last two years we have tripled the volume of classes and workshops here. The growth seems to be sustainable so we have recently created a printmaking workshop complete with a new press. The school is booming. We are known for our excellent teachers and staff.
We have 18 exhibitions every year! These include 3 curated show, 3 juried shows, 7 member’s shows and an exhibition of all the Concord /Carlise High school work! WE engage our community on many levels including art appreciation with preschools and Concord Art in Bloom which combines talented flower artists with work for our permanent collection. Our building has a wonderful history that tourists come to hear about and then stay to love the artwork.
We are lucky that our founder purchased our building in 1922 and had it renovated by one of Boston’s most renowned women architect’s Lois Lilley Howe. The galleries are configured as they were then and the second floor atelier style gallery is very large and very well appointed. Artwork shines in our spaces which makes it good for artists to show with us. We can attract both established and emerging artists for our shows because we do an excellent job curating! We are proud and our art committee does an exceptional job of finding great curators and jurors.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I might have gone to school for curating, but instead I learned it on the job.
Contact Info:
- Address: Kate James, Director
Concord Art
37 Lexington Road
Concord, MA 01742 - Website: concordart.org
- Phone: 9783692578
- Email: katejames@concordart.org
Image Credit:
Artist winners and juror, Katherine French with Concord Art Director, Kate James (third from right)
Kate James touring The Hall Foundation with a group from Concord Art
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