Scott Jones, General Manager, The Legacy Gallery
Artist Advocate: Can you share the story of how you got started in the art gallery business?
Legacy Gallery: Brad and Jinger Richardson opened The Legacy Gallery in Scottsdale in 1988 and a second gallery in Jackson, Wyoming, in 1991. Known for original western art, the gallery features more than 80 nationally recognized painters and sculptors with a variety of themes, from wildlife to landscapes to traditional western. Cowboy Artists of America, Prix de West Artists, and Masters of the American West Artists are featured in the two spacious settings.
I am an art addict. I have been since I bought my first painting at the age of 16. I was pretty talented in high school and college — I won some good awards and even had one of my paintings used as the logo for the ABC television affiliate’s evening news for a year. But I never considered a career as an artist. I always thought I had a much better chance of success and a more secure future in the business world.
Art did continue as my only real passion outside of my work. I always found the time to study artists’ work and the market, attend a bunch of gallery shows and museum exhibitions, and occasionally add to my own collection. I planned business trips around art shows. I told my four daughters when they were very young that they would know I was retired when I was in Jackson Hole selling art. Fortunately for me, that opportunity came much sooner than I had anticipated, and my favorite gallery became my employer. How great is that!
Artist Advocate: What are your keys to success? What strategies do you employ to keep your business healthy?
Legacy Gallery: It really all boils down to the art. Brad and Jinger have established wonderful relationships with the very best artists. This is an ongoing process, and we must continue to add talented artists and mutually benefit from their continued development. We have had relationships with certain artists since the gallery opened more than 20 years ago, and we now look for new relationships that will last for the next 20.
Artist Advocate: What trends are you seeing in the art business?
Legacy Gallery: One trend that I am particularly excited about is the abundance of talented artists. At The Legacy Gallery, we focus more on traditional representation themes. Western Art is our stronghold, of course, and will continue to be. But we are seeing success in some other themes and subjects that have us excited. Very few artists may be a fit for what and who we are looking for. Technology has certainly enhanced our ability to locate those artists who we feel can be successful with the gallery. In December alone, we had more than 220 artists contact us regarding representation, mostly through Internet submissions on our website. I look at every submission. I look forward to Artist Advocate as a source of potential artists. We may add only one artist in a thousand, but I appreciate the fact that those thousand artists and their artwork are readily accessible for review.
Artist Advocate: Will the art gallery as we know it be the same in five or 10 years, or will everything go online? How important has the Internet become to your business?
Legacy Gallery: I believe there will always be a place for brick-and-mortar art galleries. Beautiful galleries with proper lighting and viewing space located in top art markets will continue into the future. But I also believe that, as more and more avenues for purchasing art become available, the percentage of artwork sold off the wall of a gallery will continue to decline.
I do believe that collectors will continue to appreciate and value coming to the gallery to see and experience the artwork. But as their comfort level in a particular artist’s work develops, so does their willingness to purchase from a website photo, an e-mail image, or a photo in the mail. The brick-and-mortar gallery affords direct contact with new collectors and enhances our ongoing relationships with existing collectors who regularly visit. The Internet gallery allows us to cater to that particular collector’s interests by immediately updating them on new pieces and new opportunities. The Internet is vital to the success of the business. We have had entire shows sell out prior to the artwork ever being displayed in the gallery — all through Internet postings and e-mail contacts.
Artist Advocate: If you were starting to collect today, what would you buy?
Legacy Gallery: There are collectors who want to buy established artists with established track records. They look for artists with proven sales records in both the primary and secondary markets. Museum show participation and particular gallery affiliations are important considerations.
Other collectors focus their efforts on finding artists who they feel have the potential to become artists in this first category. They want to be the early adopters, the early collectors. They spend time and effort watching for new artwork from artists with such promise.
I enjoy dealing with both types of collectors. I also enjoy the diverse opinions on which artists fall into either category.
The artwork I collected prior to joining the gallery was primarily in the early adopter category. My collection has early pieces from Luke Frazier, Jason Rich, Julie T. Chapman, Robert Coombs, Chad Poppleton, and others. I still find a thrill in identifying artwork by younger artists before they hit the really big time. Of course, I also spent seven years putting my name in every drawing I could for a Bob Kuhn painting prior to his passing. I never did have the pleasure of seeing my name drawn. But in the process I picked up artwork by Mian Situ, David Mann, Bill Anton, Robert Peters, and Scott Christensen — and added to my collection of Frazier and Rich.
