Gallery owner? Check. CEO of an innovative start-up? Check. Featured in Forbes? Check. Karline Moeller might have an impressive resumé now, but at the rate things are going for her newest venture, a web-based job-hunting and recruitment platform for the visual arts community called Art Frankly, there’s no doubt in our minds that she’ll rack up even more impressive accomplishments in the future. Read on to learn about Karline’s whirlwind journey through the art world, her architecture crush and her love of pink champagne.

 

 

AZ: Hometown?

KM: Millerton, New York.

 

 

AZ: Drink of choice?

KM: A piscine! It’s pink champagne on ice.

 

 

AZ: First job in the arts?

KM: After completing the internship program at Sotheby’s I was hired to work full time in the Contemporary Department. I was very young, in between universities and it was my “gateway” job, if you will, to the art world. Although it was too corporate for me at the age of 19, it was one of the best experiences professionally. In fact, I now call on my experience there often with Art Frankly.

 

 

AZ: Favorite museum?

KM: Architecturally: the Beyeler Foundation in Basel, Switzerland. Content wise: the Cy Twombly Gallery at the Menil Foundation in Houston, Texas. I have an architecture crush on Renzo Piano.

 

photo courtesy of Fondation Beyeler

 

AZ: Give us your thoughts on the art world employment landscape.

KM: It’s certainly changing. People are more willing to relocate for the right job or even to try out something new. That is evident at the higher, executive level positions all the way down to internships. The art world is expanding and growing at an incredible rate, and as a result, people are moving and growing with it. Just look at the number of fairs, biennials, triennials, etc. that fill up your calendar and physical movement. You could theoretically live on an airplane if you work in the arts, and in fact, I know a lot of people who kind of do. I think now more than ever a platform like Art Frankly is needed to serve this impressive community.

 

 

AZ: You started a gallery with your cousin, Maxwell Snow, in the height of economic downturn. What did you learn from that experience?

KM: How to be flexible and problem solve. Max and I had to deal with so many curveballs—we really learned how to constantly think on our feet. The second show we produced was a group show called “Phantasmagorical,” and we painted the floors in our gallery with Disney brand paint called ‘Love’s First Kiss.’ We couldn’t afford the air conditioning and the paint did not dry in time for the opening. Everyone left with pink soles and the neighborhood was littered with pink footprints. At first we panicked, and then we realized it is quite possibly the best guerilla advertising campaign for the show so we purposefully repainted a few times.

 

 

AZ: Tell us about how you started Art Frankly.

KM: Art Frankly was born out of necessity. I have needed a platform like this at every stage of my career in the last ten years. Whether it was to find a job for myself, hire an intern, rent an exhibition space, endorse a residency program, suggest a studio swap, recommend an installer… the list goes on.

 

 

AZ: Who do you look up to in the art world?

KM: First and foremost, my mother, Thordis Moeller. She is a pioneer in artist representation without the formal structure of a gallery. Her dedication and confidence in her pursuits to expand artist’s audience is a gift.

 

I have also been very lucky with my bosses. Not only did they truly take me under their wing and teach me how things operate in this particular industry but also now I count them as some of my closest friends. With that said, I constantly find strength and inspiration from my friends in this industry. We all grow up together, so I look up to them too.

 

 

AZ: How does Art Frankly compare to other job websites?

KM: Art Frankly is the only professional networking platform for the creative industry. We offer much more functionality and convenience than any other job site and also serve the global arts community. That has been important to Josie Hines (my co-founder) and me from the beginning.

 

 

AZ: What is the ultimate goal for Art Frankly?

KM: To be synonymous with opportunity.

 

 

AZ: What advice can you give someone who is looking into a career in the arts?

KM: Try a lot of different things and don’t think any job is too small. And never underestimate the significance of being the gopher. I can’t tell you how many coffees I fetched and how many papers I three hole punched for bosses. It is important to go through that stage.

 

 

AZ: What’s a job in the art world that doesn’t get enough praise?

KM: It’s a tie for me between conservation/restoration and auctioneers. Conservation and auctioneering are both arts in their own rights and come with many unseen challenges.

 

 

AZ: What’s next for Art Frankly?

KM: We will be rolling out lots of new features in the next six months. But I am most excited to release our aggregated newsfeed. Our users will be able to pick and choose their favorite news sources and then after setting their preferences, receive one consolidated email (daily, weekly, monthly) with all of their desired art news.

 

 

AZ: How can we sign up? 

KM: It’s free and easy! Just go to www.artfrankly.com to create a profile! 

 

Art Frankly is offering Art Zealous readers 25% off a job posting. Code: FranklyArt

Please note that one job post costs $60 and lasts one month.

 

 

top image // Hanna Hazel for Art Zealous