Arts Professional Story: Lisa Boyle, Director, Lisa Boyle Gallery

Lisa Boyle

Interview conducted by CAR Visual Art Researcher Stacie Johnson

There are about three tentacles of practice as a dealer that I try to keep in balance, I guess. They could be called: "Who You Show, Who You Know, and Who Knows You."

1. Who you show. I would advise anyone starting a space to try and get a clear vision of what kind of program they want, and then plan out a program with some foresight, rather than fall prey to showing only work by friends because you haven't established a show schedule and a long-term aesthetic (or imagined one, at least. I know aesthetics develop and mature over time, so one can't get it perfect from the start). Don't be piecemeal about it, and really think about some long term plans.

The foundation of any good gallery is a solid exhibition program. This is followed by promotion and ambition, but if you don't have interesting wares to hawk, you can squawk about them all you want and the people you hope to impress can see right through that.

2. Who you know. You have to understand the art world around you. You have to make huge efforts to keep up with what other galleries are showing, how you are akin to them and how you have something new to offer in the face of much competition. You should spend a lot of time developing a mailing list of galleries, institutions and individuals who are likely to have interest in your program.

You should go to fairs and try and meet other dealers, curators and artists. Sadly, there's no way of getting out of the necessity of networking. And it blows, quite severely, it's one thing I am sorely lacking in, but you have to do it.

3. Who Knows You. This will of course happen over time, but in the early stages of a gallery, you should be spending a LOT of time researching who is who and what is what so you can accurately see how you fit into the big picture and how you can sort of enter the stream of visibility. Make sure they know what you're doing.

Develop of a good, simple, well-stocked website, advertising program and again, the mailing list. Research art fairs, as they are now crucial to a gallery and its artists, and it's important that you understand the context in which your artists are being shown. Also, they are very expensive, so get ready to do them and make sure you aren't wasting money on the wrong ones too soon. If you don't do this research on how to best broadcast your artists, obviously, one of two things will happen: no one will know about your program, or you will spend a lot of money promoting to people and places that are really not aligned to your vision and can't do you or your artists any good.

And finally, remember: You work for your artists. If you always keep the mindset that everything you do for your artists comes back to benefit you, then you really can't make a wrong move, I think. How do you overcome your aversion to networking? Slowly, but surely. Whenever I feel weird about calling someone or approaching someone, I think of the opportunity that could be lost for my artists because of my own shyness. Then I have to be more open to the social part of what I do. Otherwise, it's a huge gap and the detriment will start to become clear. Do you have any advice on how to 'enter the stream of visibility'? Be sure to send listings to all the local and national publications that offer free listings and/ or do reviews of exhibitions. Make sure they have the information they need in time to advertise and/ or write about your exhibitions. Also, doing art fairs.

How does working for your artists come back to benefit you in the long run? A successful gallery is one that has successful artists, right? We all know big fancy galleries with a lot of capital that show really lackluster work and just seem like a vanity project. I think some people see that as being successful from a superficial perspective, but not the people whose opinions I care about. If you are busy doing work for your artists they will want to work with you in a more stable way. You become a little like co-workers. You strategize together and benefit from the connections your artists are making as well. If you try for simple sales, or singular sales, the relationships burn out more quickly. But if you are really doing what you can to promote the work and get your artists other opportunities, the additional energy will be evident and you will gain more exposure.


Lisa Boyle is Owner/ Director of Lisa Boyle Gallery, which features the work of emerging national and international artists. The gallery participates in several art fairs, including Aqua Art in Miami and Year 07 in London. She graduated from Michigan State University with a BFA in Painting and worked in the Fine Art Research Library for 5 years before coming to Chicago to attend the MFA program at University of Chicago. Boyle was the Associate Director at Carrie Secrist Gallery in Chicago until 2005 where she introduced the work of artists such as Liliana Porter, Todd Hido and Bill Henson to Chicago gallery audiences.