It’s been a while since we’ve introduced you to our team, so that’s exactly what we’re doing for this month’s installment of “Jobs in the Art World.” We’ve interviewed an arts publicist, a conservator and now you get to know the people behind Art Zealous. Our group of contributors is all over the map—literally. Readers, meet our writers!

 

 

Caitlin Confort

 

AZ: How did you get involved in Art Zealous?

CC: My lovely pal, Kristina Adduci, told me about AZ when she started it and asked me to contribute. I love AZ and have been a contributing writer since day one!

 

AZ: You can tell a lot about a person by looking at the Camera Roll on their phone—what does yours say about you?

CC: My Camera Roll is filled with (not so) candids of my friends and family, along with colorful photos from travel and music experiences. Also, lots of screenshots from Bulldog Instagrams!

 

AZ: Dream art destination?

CC: Wandering around new cities is the perfect way to discover the art pulse; Brick Lane in London has a great street art landscape, for example. I dream of walking around the streets of Chefchaouen and taking it all in.

 

AZ: Favorite museum and gallery?

CC: The Whitney in NYC is always a treat. I’m actually obsessed with album art, especially on vinyl from the 60s, so I loved the recent Rolling Stones Exhibition that showcased art representing the band throughout the years.

 

 

Mary Alice Franklin

 

AZ: How did you get involved with Art Zealous?

MAF: I was lucky enough to have a friend in common with Art Zealous Co-Founder Kristina. When my friend heard that Kristina was launching an arts media company, she knew that we should meet, and immediately put us in touch. That’s how I became one of AZ’s first writers!

 

AZ: Dream art destination?

MAF: Since I can’t answer “everywhere” for this question, one destination I’d love to check out is Museo Atlantico, an underwater museum off of Spain’s Lanzarote Island that is only accessible to snorkelers and divers. I’ve been wanting to get my scuba license, and this would be a great excuse to do so. I also tend to respond to art that seems displaced or paired with something unlikely – for instance, when artistic disciplines are combined, or a museum is built underwater! These pieces usually take the art one step further by creating a juxtaposition between the work and its additional elements (such as its environment), and often adds another layer to unfold.

 

AZ: Do you have any advice for someone looking to start a career in the art world?

MAF: To everyone who is pondering a career in the arts: I would most like for you to know that it’s possible to make a living by doing what you love. Creativity is valuable. Literally. Not only to those creating it or experiencing it, but for the economy as well: the arts create jobs and revenue. So don’t let anyone tell you that your career path is frivolous. Other words of advice: act confident, even when you aren’t; ask questions, even if they seem silly; don’t be afraid to make connections, even with people who aren’t in the arts.

 

AZ: What’s your background?

MAF: I always wanted to be a writer. Another passion of mine has always been art, but it didn’t occur to me as a career path until college, when my art history professor urged me to consider it. It made perfect sense to me, to match one passion with another. I’m the Editor of Westchester County’s arts and culture newspaper, ArtsNews. It is published by ArtsWestchester, the largest privately-owned nonprofit arts council in New York State. Since it’s a nonprofit, I’m also the organization’s Communications Manager and Social Media Manager. Besides on Art Zealous, my freelance writing can be read on Huffington Post, Paste Magazine and more. I have a Master’s in Publishing, a Bachelor’s in English, and minors in Writing, Art History and Psychology. I live with my husband in Astoria, Queens and in my free time, I enjoy reading, photography, relaxing with a glass of wine after a long day, exploring New York City—especially its museums, yoga, binge-watching Netflix and people-watching from coffee shops.

 

 

Meng-Chieh Monica Lu

 

AZ: How did you get involved in Art Zealous?

ML: I met Kristina at The New School career fair. We started chatting and a couple of weeks later, I joined Art Zealous and have been working with a team of talented and creative people ever since.

 

AZ: Favorite coffee table book?

ML: I always keep a few copies of E.B. White’s “This Is New York” in my apartment. I picked up this book four years ago in a used bookstore in Chicago and decided to move to New York after college. E.B. White’s New York has changed quite a bit, but the spirit of New Yorkers stays the same.

 

AZ: What’s your background?

ML: I was born and raised in Taiwan. My mom is an opera singer, so I was inspired to attend conservatory when I was six to study music. I moved to the UK after high school and took a gap year before I relocated to the United States for B.M. in piano performance at Indiana University. After college, I moved to New York and am studying at Mannes College – The New School for piano performance and arts management. When I’m not practicing, performing, or writing for Art Zealous, I’m gallery hopping in Chelsea, Lower East Side, and Brooklyn.

 

AZ: Favorite cocktail?

ML: A glass of Whiskey Sour (with egg white) always makes my day better. It’s also a very good source of protein!

 

 

Katita Miller

 

AZ: How did you get involved in Art Zealous?

KM: When I was working as a studio assistant to an artist named Liz Sloan, I met one of the directors of the gallery that represents her. Coincidentally, he was also involved with ArtFrankly and encouraged me to make a profile and check out their job listings, so I did—that’s how I ended up applying for this internship at AZ!

 

AZ: What’s your background?

KM: I was a born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, went to college in North Carolina and moved to New York City this past fall. My mom is a painter, so my love for art goes way back. I followed in her footsteps and studied painting in college, and my ultimate goal is to be able to make art for a living. In addition to writing for AZ, I’m also an intern at Jack Hanley Gallery and in my spare time I make collages and itty bitty paintings in the makeshift studio I’ve set up in a corner of my bedroom.

 

AZ: What are you reading now?

KM: “A Long Way Down” by Nick Hornby. I’ve been buying all my reading material at thrift stores lately, so the selection is very random and I end up with books I’d probably never read otherwise. This one is about 4 strangers in London who meet by chance on a rooftop on New Years Eve because they’re all planning on jumping to their deaths—a very dark premise, I know, but I promise it’s really good and even funny, if you can believe it.

 

AZ: Favorite coffee table book of all time?

KM: At my family’s house in Texas, we have a giant book of paintings by Balthus, an artist I’m obsessed with, on our coffee table. Every time I go home I plot to sneak it back to New York with me, but it would definitely push my suitcase over the 50 lb. limit—one day I’ll find a way.

 

 

Freya Stockford

 

AZ: How did you get involved in Art Zealous?

FS: I was introduced to Art Zealous and the extraordinarily talented Kristina Adduci by our mutual friend, the vivacious and fantastically charismatic Sophia Schneider when I came to New York for 3 months in the heat of Summer in 2016. I had met Sophia in Glasgow when she came to study Painting and Printmaking for 3 months a few years back with me at the Glasgow School of Art and we enjoyed experiencing a new city together with all the deep fried pizza it had to offer. When I came to New York, Sophia was setting out as a food writer, which seemed appropriate given the exotic tastes she had experienced in Scotland. When I met Kristina in the Art Zealous offices in Midtown, it felt like coming home. Never has writing felt so rewarding, especially with such a talented team of people creating genuinely meaningful content to inspire and educate.

 

AZ: Do you have any advice for someone looking to start a career in the art world?

FS: Back in the UK I work in Curatorial at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. We work with internationally renowned artists, bringing their work to our beautiful open air landscape of rolling hills, lakes and 500 acres of art. One of the many things I have learned throughout my life is that if you only get to where you’re going by the action of doing, and that is an important lesson to learn. Do everything you enjoy, get involved in as much as you can and you’ll succeed.

 

AZ: Favorite gallery and museum?

FS: One of my favourite galleries in the world is the Hayward Gallery in London. On the banks of the River Thames, it sits back and watches the crowds of tourists come and go. No other gallery has excited my senses like this one. Inside its walls I have climbed through webs, taken suspicious pills, been frightened of the dark, been frightened of polka dots, confused my body, laughed until I cried and exited via large children’s slide, all in the name of art. The confidence exuded by such an institution should give confidence to us all and I praise any gallery which makes a public feel confident in its offering.

 

AZ: What is your definition of the perfect weekend?

FS: We bought a house, went to party at Köln Karneval, ate Mexican, bought new art work, saw my work on an album cover, opened an exhibition, started installing a new exhibition and struggled with IKEA furnishings.

 

 

Michael Wolf

 

AZ: How did you get involved in Art Zealous?

MW: I posted a picture of a William Edmondson sculpture at Salon 94 exhibit and AZ editor (Kristina Adduci) commented on it. That started the conversation that led to writing for Art Zealous.

 

AZ: Favorite museum and gallery?

MW: My favorite large museum is the Philadelphia Museum of Art because I went to art school in Philadelphia and I spent many many hours in the museum. It was like a second home. My favorite small museum is the Mead Art Museum at Amherst College because it is open until midnight and everyone needs access to late night art.

 

AZ: Dream art destination?

MW: Barcelona to see Antonio Gaudi’s Basilica de la Sagrada Familia, Museu Picasso, Fundació Joan Miró, and the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya.

 

AZ: What’s your background?

MW: I studied sculpture and furniture design at Philadelphia College of Art and have an MA in education and MFA also in sculpture.

 

 

Lorraine Rubio

 

AZ: How did you get involved in Art Zealous? Do you have any advice for someone looking to start a career in the art world?

LR: I heard about Art Zealous through an awesome editor I met through my first internship in New York at artnet News. I would say the biggest key to success in the art is good conversation—intern at interesting companies, go to gallery openings, visit artist studios. Meeting people not only helps you figure out what you’d like to do, but it also means people will think of you when awesome opportunities like Art Zealous come around!

 

AZ: What’s your background?

LR: Both my parents were military officers (mom still is), so I moved seven times before middle school when we settled down in Frederick, MD. I went to a liberal arts college in Boston, where I studied math (pre-med), before switching to art history. I recently took marketing and creative writing classes at Columbia University.

 

AZ: You can tell a lot about a person by looking at the Camera Roll on their phone—what does yours say about you?

LR: I recently went to a Young Women in the Arts panel, where one of the panelists said something to the effect of with the rise of social media, your Instagram is like your daily journal. I completely agree with this, and my photo roll is that times 100—screen shots of good quotes and articles I’d like to read in the future, blurry pictures of food and dogs on the street, and of course art.

 

top image // our offices at Workville