Written by Fredia

Are you a painter, sculptor, ceramicist, photographer, welder, glassmaker, or any other form of a physical artist? Are you interested in having your work showcased at locations across the country or the world? I sat down with the owners of Curate Art Group, Brooke Nelson and Rachel Mychajluk, who are currently accepting art submissions on behalf of clients such as Hilton, Ritz Carlton, Marriott International, MGM, Wyndham, Conrad, Crowne Plaza, Hyatt, and many others.

Fredia: So, tell me more about Curate Art Group. What is CAG? Why was it founded?

Rachel Mychajluk: Curate Art Group is a certified, women-owned art-consulting firm that works with hotels, restaurants, offices, banks, hospitals, and more. Brooke & myself are both the owners and principals. We believe artwork connects the physical space with its viewers, and we love helping talented creatives hang their work for the public to enjoy. Our goal is to support emerging artists and purposeful design.

F: What kind of artists are you looking to work with? What kind of styles?

Brooke Nelson: We’re looking to engage more with artists who are young in their career, and who are also driven and passionate about their practice. It's fun to work with artists that aren't otherwise widely represented and help spread their work! As a women-owned company, diversity is very important to us. Through Curate, we hope to close the gender and racial gap in the art world by continuing to add people of color and women artists to our portfolio. We believe there are so many talented people who just need exposure and business tips to launch their artistic careers, which Curate provides.  

RM: As far as styles go, we’re looking for all styles! Prints are a big part of our business, along with occasionally selling originals. As far as commercial projects we love political and sexy pieces. We typically best sell artwork that is appropriate for all ages and backgrounds to enjoy. A question we ask when acquiring new work is, “could families from many walks of life easily enjoy the pieces?” Lastly, we also love seeing artists who are capable of making multiples of sculptures, especially out of metal, wood, and fiber.

When an artist is selling their work, what should they be mindful of?

RM: Again, we sell a lot of art prints and love to see artists create both bodies of work: originals at a higher value and prints that are more accessible to the public. Quality is important, of course! Artists should scan their work at high-resolutions, which allows them to be turned into prints. Also, and an amazing thing to note about us is that we allow artists to retain rights to their images. Artists should create a concise portfolio and send it to as many eyes as possible.

Where will selected artwork end up potentially? Who are some of your clients?

BN: A lot of the pieces we will select will go into hotel guest rooms and public spaces, along with offices, restaurants, banks, hospitals, and more! One of our artists was just featured in BizJournal for their mural at the W Hotel in Atlanta. We also work with most of the major hotel brands including Hilton, Ritz Carlton, Marriott International, MGM, Wyndham, Conrad, Crowne Plaza, Hyatt, and many others. Lastly, we work with design firms such as Gensler, Leo A Daly, and Puccini Group.

What wisdom can you share to our female audience who are interested in following in your footsteps as art buyers?

RM: Decide your goal, and never give up. Make steps towards it daily! If being successful in a creative field was easy, everyone would already be doing it! Remember, the first two years of chasing any dream are always hard. At first, you're still figuring out what the right path is, and then you find the right path and need to learn how to go down it. For example, Curate first thought we’d sell to start-up companies and so we reached out to every start-up in the Bay Area. After a while, we learned that wasn't going to work (shocking: start-ups have no money for art, haha). From there we made a pivot and switched to hotels and big commercial projects.

BN: Learn about sales! If you want to make money, you have to know how to sell. The Little Red Book of Selling is great!

RM: Set goals with deadlines for yourself. Also, find a friend to keep you accountable to your own milestones.

BN: Be patient. It was only around our three-year mark that we began to see real progress and actually felt like a real company.

For those interested in submitting their work for review, where should they send it?
RM: Check out our website at curateartgroup.com and email submissions to rachel@curateartgroup.com & brooke@curateartgroup.com. From there, we will review work and schedule time to meet with people individually.