Art Crush: Introducing Karen Galloway, LA’s Newest Powerhouse In The Art World
Interview by Shelley Holcomb
Meet Karen Galloway, the force behind the Black-owned contemporary art gallery Sow & Tailor. At any given moment, you’ll find Galloway curating multiple shows around the globe, all while simultaneously showcasing Los Angeles’s most up-and-coming artists at her brick-and-mortar space in DTLA. At a time when galleries from all over the world are flooding the L.A. art scene, Karen Galloway is leading the charge with her gallery, championing artists from marginalized communities and making space for community. She’s determined to make sure everyone’s voice is heard, that they are given the platform they deserve in the art world, and that they are part of one big family while doing it.
We recently sat down for a chat with Karen to learn more about how she began her gallery and what inspires her to do the work she does.
Shelley Holcomb: To begin, can you give us an idea of your background and how you started your personal journey with art?
Karen Galloway: I’ve always been an appreciator of art. I’ve been going to galleries and museums since I was very young. My mom would always take me to a lot of cultural events or art openings, museums, and music shows. I grew up in Pasadena and throughout Los Angeles. And I guess that’s kind of where I’ve come to have a love for it all.
Then I went to art school at Columbia College in Chicago. I ended up moving to New York City, and then I started working in the fashion industry, and that’s where I got a lot of my work background. Eventually, I started producing for brands, and it wasn’t super artistic at all. Then during the pandemic, I stopped everything related to fashion. We started a family, and during that time, we were thinking about what we could do and how we wanted to move forward. We wanted to have our child around art and immersed in it. Right after my daughter was born, I decided to open up our own space/gallery, which we called Sow & Tailor, and curated a group show called Hot Concrete. And now we’re here.
Shelley: So, what exactly was the genesis of the gallery? What inspired you to start Sow & Tailor? And can you also explain the name of the gallery and where that came from?
Karen: Sure,
what inspired me the most was our daughter, Spring.
When I was pregnant, I was mostly alone due to COVID and social distancing. But also because I had a high-risk pregnancy and was on bed rest. So I was spending a lot of time by myself and, you know, you start thinking about life and what you want to do. The inspiration also just came from having the opportunity to do something different that was our own. I wanted to have an art show that included all of our friends and people who we admire as artists and their work and see everyone come together.
Karen: “Tailor” came from the idea of sewing, and it’s a play on words. It’s “Sow,” not like sewing garments or anything; it’s meant to allude to sowing seeds. So it’s kind of like sowing the seed and tailoring our artist program.
Shelley: What would you say is the core mission for Sow and Tailor?
Karen: The core mission for Sow & Tailor is definitely to bring exposure to emerging and under-represented artists. A lot of the people that we work with come from different backgrounds, which is really interesting. Nothing is very traditional with how we run our space either; it’s not like a blue chip gallery. Our openings are usually like a daytime kickback type of opening. There are always kids and dogs, and everyone is invited. We always have a food element, and we love to incorporate talented people in the culinary industry to come and serve their food. So that’s also really nice and different.
Shelley: Yeah, absolutely. And how would you describe your program if you had to in a few words?
Karen: In a few words, I would describe our program as homegrown. All of the relationships in the gallery started organically through our community of friends and family.
I think everyone that we show is pretty unique in their own way. The styles are a lot different, and they’re like creating their own genre.
And as we grow, we continue to push outward in LA and now overseas. We do off-site projects in which we like to incorporate people who are more established, as well as showing them with someone who’s never shown before. It’s great exposure for the new faces as well.
Shelley: How do you select artists you want to work with? Can you provide us with more insight into your artistic pool?
Karen: The spirit of our gallery is rooted in family ideals. We initially reached out to our friends and family to be a part of our shows. Over time we began to connect with new artists to include in our exhibitions, and it continues to grow naturally on its own.
As a woman of color, I want to make sure to have an inclusive program with artists from different cultures, age groups, and levels in their careers.
Shelley: And what do you think the role of the gallerist is within today’s art market?
Karen: For me, it’s a lot about support and listening and learning and working closely with artists. It’s important to be innovative in the art world, and I like to think I offer new perspectives on the role of a gallerist. I don’t allow the art market, the boundaries of the art world to control me or my space, or dictate who and how I exhibit artwork. I think it’s important to offer support in multiple ways
and always put the artists first.
Shelley: What unique values do you think characterize the contemporary Los Angeles art scene right now?
Karen: Los Angeles has a great scene because there’s a strong sense of community out here. I really like all the smaller art spaces around town and the inclusivity in LA compared to other cities. It’s a place of its own.
Shelley: Can you talk about what you’re doing / who you’re showing during art week in February?
Karen: We have several presentations during art week. In our gallery, we have a solo presentation by Kayla Witt. We were invited Frieze and will be exhibiting a solo booth by Veronica Fernandez. We will also participate in Felix Art Fair with a group booth of artists in our program. Off-site, we will also be producing an exhibition titled ‘Distinguishing Us’ for Soho House in West Hollywood.
Shelley: Wow. And where do you see Sow & Tailor in five years or ten years?
Karen: We’re not sure, but all we know is it’s going to be special, and we can’t wait for everyone to see how we grow.
Sow & Tailor is located at 3027 Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90007. Visit their website for more information.
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