Bringing artists into the light with Superfine
A compulsive curator and multi-spirited entrepreneur, Alex brings a marketing degree from the University of Miami and more than 16 years of experience in the lifestyle, art, and hospitality sectors to his role at Superfine Art Fair.
A guiding force in the curatorial style and business approach of all Superfine fairs, Alex is also a major collector of contemporary art, (partially recovering) social media addict, published writer, and film producer. From home base in NYC, Alex, James, and the team have launched Superfine fairs in six US cities and growing each year.
James Miille, Alex Mitow, and Coda
James Miille brings a profound aesthetic sense and keen eye to all things Superfine, both physical and digital. Responsible for everything from web development and materials design to managing the Superfine sales team, James is a multi-faceted personality who adds detailed visual narrative to an organization rooted in the visual.
James is also a top-selling photographer based in NYC. His artwork is frequently featured in publications such as Architectural Digest, Hi-Fructose Magazine, and Artnet, has also been exhibited in solo exhibitions in New York, Miami, and Paris. He has developed a habit of narrating his pet Shiba Inu Coda's thoughts and specializes in making ordinary objects float––and yes, he does in fact have two i's in his last name.
“It can be intimidating for an artist to show their art to thousands of people, but it’s worth it.”
While you two are co-founders of Superfine, you are first and foremost collectors – tell me a bit about your collection and how you got started?
James: Superfine and our collecting habit (read: collecting addiction!) certainly overlap with each other, but our collection indeed started before the dawn of Superfine. Alex and I had each collected a smattering of artworks on our own before meeting, but we started buying art a lot more frequently together.
The first artwork we bought with each other was a limited edition print by Hanksy (not Banksy––Hanksy, a humorous Lower East Side artist who plays on the former's persona). The print depicts Marty McFly from Back to the Future as an actual housefly, fully clad in his red puffer vest and six retro hi-tops. The print itself was terribly amusing, but the art show itself we saw the piece at was the reason to thank for our buying Marty. The industrial venue on Houston Street was dressed up for the occasion with murals on every wall, interactive rooms, a skating ramp, inviting music, food from Chinatown mainstay Nom Wah Tea Parlor, and friendly faces ready to help you buy artwork easily over an iPad. It was completely opposite of the unwelcoming gallery shows we had been to in Chelsea (where - as young guys in our 20s - we were lucky to even receive a "hello" when walking into an otherwise empty gallery).
You always say you help people bridge the gap between “art curious” and “art collector,” how did you go from collectors to founders of Superfine?
James: As with our Hanksy print, we noticed some of the same factors that led to most of our other art purchases––the environment of the show, approachability of the people there, and the transparency in price. For instance, the year before starting Superfine, Alex and I decided on a whim to go to Mexico City to attend Zona Maco and the surrounding fairs around the city. The main Maco fair was extremely impressive, but it was a clear mix of visitors who were just there to see and take pictures of the art, and a choice few people who spoke with the gallery reps about purchasing an artwork. It was a place for most people to look but not engage.
Elisa’s gorgeous display of artwork
Out of the art-buying mood, and drained after a long couple of days of hopping around art shows, Alex and I decided to stop by one more show before searching for a place to grab dinner, Salon Acme. Unlike most of the other fairs we had been to, we were immediately greeted by a couple of staff members holding iPads who were available to help us purchase any art that caught our eye––and after our first lap around the show, about a dozen pieces had caught our eye (all with prices listed). We were initially going to marinate on what to buy and come back the next day, but when returning to the same artworks 20 minutes later, half of them had already been scooped up. It was a collecting frenzy. There was no time to wait. We frantically decided on a couple pieces that we were most drawn to, guarded them, and found a staff member to help us buy them. It was exhilarating.
“we wanted to make it the norm that anyone going into an art show is at least considering and capable of walking out with a new piece for their home.”
As our plans for Superfine began to form, we synthesized all of our observations from these moments where we actually bought art––and from the times we didn't. There were fifteen unwelcoming shows with no prices listed for every one experience that excited us into an art purchase, and we wanted to make it the norm that anyone going into an art show is at least considering and capable of walking out with a new piece for their home.
Tell me about your process for discovering new artists – whether for your collection, or to feature at the fair?
James: There's certainly overlap between the two! We used to meet a lot of the artists who ended up showing at Superfine through online research and visiting open studio events, but more recently we prefer casting a broader net and letting artists discover us, which goes back to our democratic approach of making an art market that's more accessible to both art buyers and the artists themselves. For instance, we recently created The Artist Business Plan, a podcast that helps artists connect with more collectors, sell more art, and reach their goals (check out the episode with Elisa as our special guest! 😉). In just three months time, our incredible team has helped us build ABP into one of the top art business podcasts in the world, with thousands of monthly listeners from nearly 70 countries. Exhibiting in an art fair is a huge and important step for an artist to take in their career, but not everyone is ready to do so at the same moment in their life. In the meantime, we're helping them grow their businesses with the podcast, and we leave the door open for artists to express to us when they're ready and interested in exhibiting in the fair.
“Exhibiting in an art fair is a huge and important step for an artist to take in their career”
What is your advice for an artist showing at Superfine or any show for the first time?
James eating one of Elisa Valenti Studio's signature cookies: Chocolate covered oreos!
James: Relax! But be prepared. It can be intimidating for an artist to show their art to thousands of people, but it's worth it. If you know what to expect from the experience, and you know what your own goals are with the show, it will be a rewarding and invigorating weekend for you and your art business. Specifically with exhibiting in Superfine, we host a series of educational webinars leading up to each fair exclusive to the participating artists, to help you start the weekend on your best foot and be on top of your strategy. Our curatorial process also allows you to know exactly how your art will be arranged in your booth, so there aren't any unwanted surprises when you show up on load-in day. We also provide you with your artwork tags, exhibition lighting, booth signage, furniture, and sold-art packing, so you pretty much just need to show up with your art, hang it, and chat with people.
This past year travel outside of your city was basically unheard of, how were you able to discover new artists and connect with the Superfine community you’ve built?
Another close up photo of the display
Alex: So much of networking and connecting has gone virtual in the past year, but we were already there with regards to our Superfine community and its growth. Pretty much since inception, I've said that we run a primarily digital business with physical activations (the fairs.) 70% of what we do both as a business to connect with and serve our artist clients takes place before and after the fairs, the events themselves are simply the culmination of that and a rewarding way for artists to actually meet those collectors face to face and sell to them. So it honestly has not been a difficult transition - we get 30-40 artist inquiries per week and our team are able to evaluate their work, the stage of their career, and their fit with Superfine over Instagram and their websites. That's all part of the qualification process for Superfine fairs and even with the pandemic we've had at least 15-20 artists committing to future fairs each and every month. There are 10 of us working around the clock to maximize every aspect of the business from SEO to digital marketing to online fairs to artist recruitment. As far as our existing community of over 200 currently exhibiting artists, we've found fun and novel ways to keep in touch. For instance, our team partnered with the art biz gals over at Create! Magazine to send out copies of their seminal The Smartist Guide to all Superfine exhibitors during the holiday season. We're also working with Danielle Glosser of Client Raiser and Marina Granger of The Artist Advisory to offer complimentary consulting sessions to newly onboarded artists. While they're each located in DC and NYC respectively, the shift to digital has allowed them to expand their own operations to reach artists around the globe which syncs nicely with our own aims.
James: Additionally like I mentioned before, our Artist Business Plan podcast has been such a rewarding way we've been able to keep in touch with our artist community, and discover new artists. Even pre-pandemic, the fair itself only takes place 5-7 weekends per year (we end up realizing that we're meeting some artists in the fair for the very first time, after we've been calling and emailing with them for 10 months!). The podcast gives us a chance to have some facetime with our artist community multiple times per week!
As we look forward, what do you think the impact the pandemic will have moving? Has it changed how you collect?
Alex: If there's one positive impact of this pandemic, I would say that it's given people a newfound appreciation of their homes, the space they're now spending much more time in. When art and design is around you all of the time, you really have to think and be intentional about it. We've been seeing millennials tearing down their college posters and replacing them with original art by emerging artists for years now, and the pandemic has just hastened that. While social media can be overwhelming, it also allows us to connect with role models and a lot of people have found themselves reading about young collectors like Everette Taylor of Artsy (whom we recently interviewed on The Artist Business Plan, and was shortly after featured by Architectural Digest!) and thinking "Gosh, why am I not surrounding myself with art too?" So it's given people a boost, the proverbial shot in the arm, to get out there (digitally, mainly, but with more forthcoming physical opportunities) and start bringing art into their space. For us personally, we actually just bought a house as a part-time weekend home/part-time vacation rental, and we've really been thinking about starting a collection from the ground up and thinking about how certain pieces will resonate with our guests, not just with us.
Photo courtesy of James and Alex
What’s next for Superfine?
Alex: Well, we've got our NYCx3 fair coming up in May which is so exciting! We're finalizing our venue this week, which is a sprawling 30,000 square feet right on the Hudson River with windows that open out for fresh air along with an approved Covid-compliant HVAC system. The prevailing feeling we've gotten from our artist clients is that they're ready to get out there and (safely) connect with buyers, and we're ready to provide an updated version of that physical experience. The fair's attendance will be time-limited with a minimal capacity (around 150 guests for every 90 minute slot), and there will be a unidirectional floor plan to prevent unnecessary contact. Artists and booths will be socially distanced as well, and we'll be doing health screenings at entry for both artists and visitors.
While the pandemic has no doubt wreaked havoc on many businesses, it's also created a new economy where people have to be very intentional in their actions. We've seen that effect in the wine industry, for instance, where in lieu of massive summer crowds of bachelor/bachelorette parties, wineries are limiting themselves to smaller socially distant tastings. The result has actually been a drastic increase in case sales and a reduction in unnecessary overhead costs. The same has echoed in the design space, where the combination of robust E-Commerce (another arena Superfine is investing heavily into over the next quarter) and limited access have combined to increased sales of high-priced furnishings and design items. This will extend to art as well, where by limiting the overall capacity of the fair we create a higher intent to buy among visitors, who are not interested in wasting our artists' time. I am bullish that this will be our highest-selling fair ever in terms of art!
“Invincible” By Elisa Valenti