Spotlight: The Well Art Gallery's "Art Ecosystem"
The “art ecosystem,” as Rosetta of The Well Art Gallery shares, represents the very communal and collaborative network that evolves in the art world. It is both intersectional and uniting, but it takes a village to make it sustainable.
Read ahead for Rosetta’s words:
CultureWorks: Who are you and what is your relationship to The Well Art Gallery?
Rosetta: My name is Rosetta, and I am currently the Gallery Manager and Lead Curator at The Well Art Gallery.
CW: Tell me a little bit about The Well. What is it, and how did it get started?
R: The Well was started by Ajay Brewer and James Harris in 2018, and I have been working with them primarily for about the last four years. Ajay knew I was heavily into the arts and had me come work at the gallery. Since then, I have curated several exhibits and helped establish monthly programming and connection to community organizations, and resourced sponsors and investors.
CW: Your Black History Now II exhibit is going on right now. Can you share a little bit about this exhibit or any other projects going on at The Well?
R: Yes, the Black History Now exhibit is currently in its second installment. It started back in 2020 with its first installation. It focuses on showing homage to the past, but also honoring what is actually occurring now. A lot of the time with Black history we see photos of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Harriet Tubman, etc., and it kind of glosses over a lot of the Black history that is being created daily. Black history is being created daily, and that's one thing we'd like to highlight; but also, how it is shaping into the future as well. What will the Black future look like? What is the Black future about? We explore those topics through a multitude of media, including in this exhibit right now; we have visual artwork, painting, mixed media, and photography. The artwork is there to create the conversations. There are 14 artists from Virginia, New Jersey, and New York.
CW: I love the mission of The Well Art Gallery to be a space for any artist who has never shown work or wants more exposure in the community. Can you speak to the process of how you go about opening accessibility up to the community?
R: It’s important to understand that artists are the key to the art ecosystem. Without the artist, without the artwork, nothing moves in the ecosystem. Of course, it's important to have art curators, collectors, sponsors, gallerists, gallery managers, auction houses, etc. But, without the artwork, none of that matters. That fundamental concept is crucial in ensuring that the art is protected as much as possible and that the artist is actively protected.
We have a lot of events where we have an open call. The open calls operate on a rotating basis, so any artist can submit. I have a system where I don't look at the resume or CV first, I will look at the artwork. I think the work is really important because that speaks first, and that's also what the viewer's going to see. My whole goal is to onboard and bring people into the art ecosystem but also catalyze art, as well. That's why I work with artists who are new, maybe right out of college, or never went to college and just started painting. We also have artists that have been painting for years. We have a piece in here that was created in 1993.
We have our “Open Hang Night,” as well, which is for anyone to submit to have their artwork displayed on the Well's Instagram, and so they can also sell artwork successfully.
CW: I love that idea of an ecosystem in the art world! That's really interesting.
R: I mean CultureWorks is a part of the ecosystem! We need people who are creating grants. I was a grant recipient two years ago for CultureWorks, and it helped me be an artist. I’d never done a documentary, but I'm a poet, and I wanted to get into that.
I think it is all essential. I think the people who donate to the art funds, the people who buy artwork, the people who submitted the work are all important because we can't claim that we're an artistic city and not support the arts. That's one of our big tourist pulls, that we are a very artsy city, but many of the galleries are struggling, and many artists in the city are struggling. Those two things have the power. It has to be, "Yes, we're a very artsy city, and now our art scene, our artists, and our creatives are actually being able to dip into this ecosystem, and not only survive but thrive."
CW: Since you've been at The Well, have you felt the gallery's growth deepen over the years, or have you seen more of a connection with your community through open calls or just existing in the neighborhood?
R: I've definitely seen growth. I think growth has also come from, not only the attention we're receiving in Richmond, but outside of Richmond. Being noticed by Black-owned galleries in Atlanta, New York, DC, and Chicago is huge because the ecosystem on its own can be very small and vulnerable, especially when we are getting more focused on Black and African-American art and galleries. I think that's essential as people start to recognize us, and know that we are making noise. Being able to really push the content is also important to us.
I think it's beautiful to see more artists come, so that's another part of the growth. We have a lot of artists we see from VCU and VSU, younger artists who are recognized and can say, "Okay, I have the ability to have my work shown." We want to ensure that we are continuing to grow as an established gallery, and the more we grow, the more artists are going to come, the more supporters are going to come, and it will naturally happen over time.
CW: Has the gallery recently or in the past, collaborated with an artist or other organization that felt meaningful?
R: Last year we had two youth groups come out, and do a video of the youth groups' response, coming into the gallery and speaking with me. That was a special moment for me, seeing them come in and feel safe, comfortable, ask questions, engage with the artwork. Those are the moments when the youth come in and are able to feel like this is their gallery; it is a space they can come to and enjoy quality artwork. That is really important to me because growing up, I never went to art galleries. I love artwork now. I can't imagine, especially when I travel, not going into galleries. If I see a gallery that's open, I'm going in. So, I want to be that open-door space for the kids. I want the gallery to be a place parents feel like they can bring their kids if they can't afford the VMFA, or for a school field trip. I want to be an art space that makes people say, "I want to go to The Well."
Sometimes I see people walk past with their kids, and I try my hardest to bring them in and let them know what we're doing. You can change a kid's life like that at the moment.
CW: Where do you look for inspiration these days, and how do you stay inspired?
R: One way I find myself staying inspired is by adding to the ecosystem. So, that's visiting other galleries, supporting other artists, going to shows. Creativity to me is a lot of different things; food, music, fashion. I stay inspired by stepping outside of my environment. Traveling inspires me; getting outside of Richmond, and gaining a different perspective. Visiting other friends who I know own galleries in different cities. Sometimes I'll ask my friends who are artists if I can hang out in their studio while they paint. Those are all great moments. I have built really great relationships with artists just being in their space.
CW: What does arts and culture mean to you in your own words, and why does it matter?
R: That's a loaded question, especially because those are two different things to me. I'm also in school right now, so when you say "culture," a lot of definitions come up. Culture is a combination of tradition, history, values, practices, and rituals. When I think about art and culture, I see it as the intersection of various cultures that we have in Richmond and how they present themselves with art. That's the beautiful thing I like about Richmond, we have so many different displays of it. I think we could definitely keep pushing more and more
Why it's important? I think arts and culture are important for a lot of different reasons. I think it's important to have outlets for creative expression, not only for people to use, but also to enjoy it. That is the balance we need. That's why the ecosystem is important because we need everyone. It revolves around art, but we have to have the people, as well. I think it's important for the community, not only for mental health but for sustainability. We need art to balance our power structures. During Richmond 2020, we were seeing how so many of the galleries, artists, and creatives expressed themselves. They might have been in the streets, yelling, screaming, and protesting, but they were expressing themselves. And that was a good thing. Art created a new community foundation for that.
CW: Where do you see the future of The Well Art Gallery going?
R: I want The Well to be a center for African-American, Indigenous, Black artists & creatives. I want it to be a hub. We also need more Black-owned galleries! So, I would like to see The Well be a literal wellspring, where we are pushing out and maybe creating another gallery, or someone else is being inspired. I think the biggest thing is I want this to grow with more people, and have artists hanging out and speaking to each other. What are they experiencing? What are they trying to do? How can you help each other grow? Bouncing ideas off of each other and sharing insight. I want this to be an open space where it's not about who you know, it's about why you want to be here. If you want to be here, this is a space for you.
CW: Do you have any other thoughts or things you want to add?
R: I’d like to mention our fundraiser! We are definitely still in a vulnerable position right now, and we are hoping to hit that 20k mark. We're about almost to 13k, and if you can't donate, please share, like, repost, and comment on our fundraising posts. There are other ways, as well, you can buy artwork, or even host an event at the gallery. Some people kind of overlook that, but it’s useful because if you host an event here, you are bringing attention to what we have going on here.
I'm looking forward to this year, with the weather warming up, I think we're definitely going to start seeing some more traffic. We have our Manchester Manifest event, as well, and that helps bring attention to this area in general. Check out our Fundraiser and Manchester Manifest!
The Well’s Black History Now II exhibit, curated by Rosetta is up for viewing through April 1st!
The gallery is open Thursday-Saturday from 12-5pm, with extended hours starting next week.
Donate to The Well’s emergency fundraiser here: gofundme.com/f/emergency-funding-for-the-well-art-gallery?qid=69170888d62862e88869045d86c3e616