On this expert mentoring session, Catherine Testorf shares her story about how she combined her professional background with her personal passions to form her current career as an art dealer and mentor for women artists. Catherine is the founder and director of InSight Artspace, an interactive art business, as well as a co-funder of Sohotel Artspace Gallery located in New York. She sees art not only as an investment but also as sees it as a bridge of cultures around the world. Today, she is helping emerging female artists spread their message through the medium of art.

 

What is unique or different about her style of showcasing artists within a gallery setting? Insight Artspace is, as Catherine says, ‘’out of the white box,” as it gives access to art for everyone. Within her gallery space, she wants to give people a spatial experience that is completely unique and display art in a non-traditional fashion where she brings the art to the people. Catherine wanted to shake up the concept of the arts and says it is easier for people to have a more intimate connection with the art in this style of format where the audience can connect deeper with the artists and their work. 

 

Catherine explains that supporting women artists was a natural move or transition for her into her current career. She likes having connections with the artists and she finds it also very important to her to support fellow women artists as they experience various imbalances within the field of art and gallery culture. Even though more than 60% of artist students are currently women, only around 30% of these artists are displayed within a usual established gallery or museum.

 

During Catherine’s transition from Switzerland to New York was initially hard, but she took art classes where she was inspired to combine her professional career in finance with her passions for art and fashion. Even when times were tough, Catherine pushed through because she was confident that she had might the right choice for her life.

 

Catherine also shares some advice to listeners who may want to become involved in art dealing or learn more about the business side of art. She admits that the first artist she collected was actually a woman, and she still continues to collect art from many different female artists when she connects to the art right away. She said she does not know why she connects so much with women artists, but she does know that she connects very deeply with this type of art. It is also very rewarding for Catherine to see artists grow and gain interest from investors through exposure.

 

Above all, Catherine wants listeners to know that people are capable of anything if they continue to work hard and never give up. Even if you need a little push to get started, she believes that the payoff is worth the initial anxieties or mixed feelings that inevitably come with change or making a hard decision.

 

Things You Will Learn

In this session, you will learn: 

1. Who Catherine Testorf is, what she does, and why she is passionate about art
2. Advice for becoming an art dealer or for those interested in art
3. Why Catherine transitioned her career to become an art dealer and mentor who supports fellow women artists

External Links

Sign up for the newsletter on the InSight Artspace website: insightartspace.com

 

Social Media

Follow Catherine on Instagram: @insightartspace

 

Art available online through Artsy: https://www.artsy.net/insight-gallery/artists

 

Also through Kooness: https://www.kooness.com/galleries/insight-artspace