Shopping With... Walker Contemporary Art Gallery

By Marni Elyse Katz
September 1, 2010

Walker Contemporary

Young thirty-something, Vermont-born Stephanie Walker opened Walker Contemporary in Boston’s artsy Sowa neighborhood almost two years ago, just as many Boston gallery owners were abandoning their storefronts due to the recession. Deemed a little bit crazy by friends and family, Walker stuck to her instincts. After almost ten years toiling in galleries in rural New England and Boston’s Newbury Street, followed by a two-year tour of the West Coast art scene, Walker knew she was ready. And her gut steered her right. Today, the gallery is thriving. The sleek white space showcases contemporary works in a variety of mediums, from emerging and mid-career artists. Walker talks to us about her artists, gives us a glimpse into the day in the life of a gallerist and trolls eBay for artful objects.

Don Maynard, one of Walker's artists, is a Canadian mid-career sculptor who works mostly with industrial material. Maynard creates installations that question the state of the environment. He probes the idea of what happens when humans and the natural world intersect. He doesn't necessarily point out the good or bad; rather, he opens a dialogue.

Casey Roberts is a young, emerging artist from Indianapolis working with a process called Cyanotype, which is a a photographic printing process that gives a cyan-blue print. He’s really pushing the medium, going back into the solution and "painting" with household chemicals like bleach and peroxide. His images are essentially cheery and bright, almost naive too, but they have an underbelly, a message, about the environment.

Kazuo is an established artist from Japan who works with glass, wood, and paper. His aim is to expose the materials’ natural properties through process. He doesn't attempt to manipulate the materials to any great extent. Rather, he showcases what the materials are capable of doing. It's a very Zen approach. I find his work to be incredibly sensual.

The Inside Source: What's the first piece of art you bought? Sold?

Stephanie Walker: The first piece I bought or begged to have purchased for me? When I was ten- or twelve-years-old I made a deal with my mother: I'd trade all my birthday and Christmas presents for years if I could have this one painting. The painting was terrible, but for some reason I was drawn to it. It was crazy. The first piece I bought for myself was quite possibly one of the most exciting moments of my life, after opening the gallery. I was working at Chase Gallery in Boston and had fallen in love with Bernd Haussmann's abstract paintings. I traded almost my entire paycheck for an abstract mixed-media work on paper. To this day, it’s still my absolute favorite piece.

The Inside Source: Did you study art in college?

Stephanie Walker: I studied Sociology. I took a handful of art history classes, but most of my art knowledge comes from reading, working in galleries and always looking.

The Inside Source: What's your favorite period in art?

Stephanie Walker: Contemporary of course! Obviously I'm biased. There is just something thrilling about working with a living and breathing artist. It’s not just the artists, it’s also the art. Art connects us to the past, makes us question our present, and think about the future.

Walker Contemporary

Clockwise from top left: Studio; A Perfect Future; Looks Like Rain; Future Forest (Sick and Sorry)

The Inside Source: Name one piece of art you wish you owned.

Stephanie Walker: I'm probably a cliché, but Damien Hirst’s diamond encrusted skull. It’s so obvious, but still a brilliant statement. I don't care so much that his hands probably never touched the piece. It’s about the idea. To stare all day at a skull, the symbol of our mortality, covered in something society deems so precious. There are so many layers of conversation that could be instigated by a piece like that. After that, it would be a Tibetan Buddha head.

The Inside Source: What do you look for when you decide to represent a new artist?

Stephanie Walker: I look for artists who have something to say and who are pushing the limits, whether it's in the use of their medium or the statement they are making.

The Inside Source: Are you surprised at what sells or doesn't sell?

Stephanie Walker: ALWAYS. It seems the pieces I'm most drawn to take forever to sell. Work that I think will definitley sell, doesn't. Work I think would be difficult to sell, sells. You just never know. It's part of the thrill of owning a gallery. Everyone wants to live with art for very personal reasons. Connecting with people, learning their tastes, it's exciting to me.

The Inside Source: What’s a typical day in the gallery like?

Stephanie Walker: I spend my days at the gallery contacting clients and prepping for the next show. I might working on strategic planning, exhibition scheduling, etc. Any time left after that, you’ll find me looking at work online or reading about art.

Walker Contemporary

Clockwise from top left: Installation at Stewart Gallery in Boise, Idaho; Glass No. 3 D; Sculpture garden installation at Samuel Freeman Gallery in Santa Monica, California; Log Jam; Tidal Mass; Magic Sussed from the Roots of an Oak Tree

The Inside Source: Do you have advice for young collectors just starting out?

Stephanie Walker: Look. Look. Look. And look some more. When you've done that, look more. You can't possibly look at enough work. It's the biggest part of the education process. Your tastes will evolve and develop over time, and you'll learn quickly that much of the work you initially loved might not have staying power.

Also, ask questions. When you think you want to buy, establish a relationship with the dealer and stick with them. If you have a good strong relationship, they won't steer you wrong. They will let you know when work that is truly appropriate for your collection comes into the gallery. Spend money on work you simply cannot live without.

The Inside Source: Do you have a favorite museum?

Stephanie Walker: There are so many phenomenal museums, and all for different reasons. I love the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis because it not only puts on phenomenal exhibitions, it also very connected to the local art scene. I love the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago because of its accessibility. And of course MoMA and the Louvre.

The Inside Source: Do you collect anything besides art?

Stephanie Walker: No. In fact, I'm a relentless minimalist. I used to stick to a rigid rule that I couldn't have more than 26 items of clothing. I couldn't keep that up, but that's the kind of relentless I'm talking about!