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Meet Ela Emberg of United Mind of Art Gallery and Inspiration Center

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Ela Emberg.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
What would make artists more financially sustainable and able to make their living out of their art? This question was presented by Harvard University President to the entire university community, as part of the yearly “President Challenge”. As an economist and researcher, who also fell in love with art (how? will share this story later), I thought of an original idea: how nice would it be if artists, exactly as in the academic system and according to the academic citations rules, would actually cite each other for whatever gave them the inspiration for each piece of work. That way, each artist would receive more acknowledgment, more recognition, more costumers and buyers and more financial sustainability. I wanted to create a huge chain, layers, or an art puzzle if you will, in which each one of us can contribute and be inspired by the other- a photo could influence a painting, which could influence another photo, which would influence an original piece of music and so on, a giant chain of art and creativity.

I submitted my (incredible :)) idea to the challenge competition as the UMA-United Mind of Art, describing how each one of us is a potential artist (as Joseph Beuys revealed the biggest secret of art: “Everyone is an artist!”) and can contribute to this virtual giant art puzzle. The main comment I got from the judges was- “Great idea, but who is your specific target audience? how it is going to work in practice? We don’t see it and don’t get it”…. Now- they challenged me!! Want to see how it works in practice? Here comes the UMA- Gallery and Inspiration Center!!

I gathered all of my art work (which was a LOT at that time and was all hidden under all beds at home, stored in a storage, stuck in the closets), rented a space in a beautiful place right next to the ocean, bought and brought in lots of musical instruments- piano, guitar, violin, drums and many more, and opened the first branch of UMA gallery.

This was exactly 2 years ago, the opening of the gallery was on August 15 2015. Now we are celebrating our second anniversary, and can easily say that HUNDREDS of artists and people who love and appreciate art, came by, played music, read poetry, created original pieces of art (we provide ALL supplies, just sit there, alone or with friends or family and create!), sang songs, blew colorful bubbles, and mainly- let themselves be inspired and creative. Every month we hold workshops and variety of events for the public, some of them with different artists who present and display their work. We promote the idea of creativity with no “excuses”. As opposed to the very strict academic or job system, there are no mistakes in art- we all can, we all contribute something special and unique to the world.

Hence, in order to encourage people to simple be creative, our winter slogan was: “Art is the Coffee of the Mind, Have you had your (coffee) creative moment today?”. Our Summer slogan was: “Art is the Workout of the Mind. Have you had your (workout) creative moment today?”. And our general slogan, or message, is very simple: “Creativity is a Necessity!!” The enthusiasm we got from the public is tremendous and we are now working on opening the next two branches- in RI and CT.

Dear judges- do you get it now?? United Mind of Art, Gallery and Inspiration Center!!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Art and creativity, mainly painting, has been very natural to me my entire life. The only huge challenge was- I had no clue about it… My creative and artistic sides were completely hidden, non-developed and non-revealed, I ignored them and never gave them some freedom or real room in my life. It was only after a severe family crisis, when I was sad, lonely and desperate, that an advice from a great friend and mentor hit me.

Just take a small notebook, some sharpies, and see what happens… Well- what happened is that I couldn’t stop paintings, after less than a year, I already presented my first art-gallery exhibition (“Out of the Blue” gallery in Cambridge, MA) while some of my paintings are taller than my height, and my hundred pieces of work are reflecting every aspect of my feelings and personality, my self-development and growth. Since then I realized how necessary is creativity in our modern life and decided to help others the same way. No need to wait for any “crises”, just to have it as part of life and let it flow.

The first year at the gallery was exciting and challenging at the same time. Our landlord was very strict, was afraid of generating noise and inconvenience to the neighbors and prohibited a lot of the activities. Yet- we fought for our rights and never gave up, and also showed him that the neighbors and the people in town are proud of us and couldn’t be happier for our existence. We are so proud that now he actually offered us to extend the lease and stay for the third and fourth year!

Our main current challenge is to bring this concept to the world and make people understand that “creativity is a necessity”. Some people can’t skip their daily cup of coffee, some can’t skip their daily work out, walk with their dog, daily long shower or whatever makes them feel good. This is a matter of education and awareness and we highly believe it’s possible to bring this awareness to creativity time- “no day is complete without it”.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the United Mind of Art Gallery and Inspiration Center story. Tell us more about the business.
Our approach at the UMA is exploring and experimenting all possible aspects of art and creativity. No material or technique is out of the range, we explore glass, wood, canvas, paper, rocks, mirrors, and even our skin, and paint with anything comes to mind- oil, acrylic, water color, spray, sharpies, foam and yes- even make up and nail polish. We include beads, gems, crystals and builders’ materials and keep exploring every possible mix and combination. We never “teach” you what to do, we ENABLE you to create, your way. If you feel like pouring some paint on canvas and see how it flows- you are in the right place and the right time. This is why we are here, and that what makes us SO different from every “art school” or “art-studio” or even “paint-nights”, when everyone is creating the same painting at the end of the evening.

We provide ALL supplies, just sit there, alone or with friends or family and create, bring your own voice to the world. You don’t have to be a singer in order to sing a song, you don’t have to be a musician in order to play an instrument and you don’t have to have any prior knowledge or background in order to use your imagination and inspiration and create something unique and one-of-a-kind.

Our most proud moments are to see the happiness, the joy and the big surprise in people’s eyes- wow, they created it? To see how grandparents, parents, children and even their pets are enjoying colorful giant bubbles and connect with each other and with themselves.

We are also very proud at the stage we give to all of those artists who are not necessarily well-known yet, the workshops, the parties, the events, the exhibitions and the exposure of their art to the public. We give artists the room to bloom and shine and there’s nothing more exciting than that!

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
“Luck”, as I see it, is a combination of hard work, timing and how things are “meant to be”. Once I work hard, give my heart into something, search and put my efforts and learning, then- hopefully the right thing suddenly comes and we can call it “luck”.

Here is one example- the historical property of the gallery became available only a few days before I replied to the ad and came to see it. The architect who used the space as his office for 5 years decided to retire. Apparently, this was the space of many historical businesses for decades (indeed, I found a black and white photo hanging on the wall, of the same street with the same houses, and the road is not even paved! The photo shows a small restaurant, advertising soda for 5c!!). Many people who later got into my gallery were so surprised that I was able to get that space and asked how did I do it… Honestly- I had no clue that this is such a unique place. I also have never been in this town before in my life- such a magical and beautiful ocean town. One more aspect of “luck” is jumping on opportunities without hesitation- at the moment I saw the place, even if it looked like a storage and still cluttered with all of the architect’s stuff, I didn’t think twice and immediately put a check for 6 months in advance. The place is mine :)!

I also believe in the other way of “meant to be”, when things do not work out as expected. I worked for almost a year on a deal to open the second branch of the UMA in CT (my goal is to have at least one branch of UMA in EVERY state across the country!). On the same day we finally signed all documents, after all the negotiation and legal work was done, everything was paid I and was just about to get the keys and on my way to hang the UMA sign on the building- suddenly I get a phone call from the seller, apparently the attorney wrote an email which scared them off and made them back out of the deal at the last moment before finalizing the contract. I couldn’t believe it. For a long time, I was extremely sad and disappointed, as couldn’t find anything which would be the same. But- realized it’s all for the best, this was not the right place for me and my gallery and I should keep searching for the perfect match.

Pricing:

  • All originals are for sale- on a range of $200 to $8000
  • All originals could be replicated and printed to posters, canvas prints, cards, mugs, curtains, throw pillows, dovet covers, phone cases and whatever comes to mind, prices from $10-$200
  • Membership at the UMA is $20 per month with free access to all activitis, all art supplies and instruments.
  • Walk-in are welocme, $10 per hour of art work
  • Space is available for events, parties- birthday, anniversary, family gatherings- $45 per person.

Contact Info:

Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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