Interview with CURA
Cluster Crafts journal is pleased to welcome London/LA based CURA and its founders Georgia Powell and Liza Shapiro for an insightful conversation about their practice, supporting collectors and art collections.
CURA is a specialised platform that supports collectors with the management and care of their collections. Perhaps you could explain this?
We work directly with collectors to support them with the management and care of their collections, to include everything from cataloguing, conservation, administering loans, curating exhibitions to assisting with insurance, disaster recovery and estate planning.
We rely on many other specialists in our trusted network in order to fulfill this supportive role, including colleagues in conservation, art advising, insurance and transportation to name a few.
What are the unique ways CURA assists in logistics and management of artwork collections compared with other platforms?
As we don’t focus on acquisitions for our collectors, like many other platforms - many of which we work closely with - we can offer a service focused on supporting collectors after acquisition. This is the part we felt was lacking in the industry – a service focused on supporting collectors with management but also encouraging them to enhance what they own through research, conservation and providing access through exhibition.
As one of us is a curator, the other a trained conservator, we feel like we can offer collectors a more well-rounded approach, to think about preservation and research/cataloguing equally. We both have experience in museums, galleries and working with private collectors, in both London and Los Angeles, so our network is quite far reaching. We have also worked with a variety of medium: painting and works on paper, sculpture, decorative arts, contemporary crafts, archival material, photography. One of our first projects was actually managing and displaying the ledgers and archives for Lock and Co. in London, the oldest hat shop in the world.
What do you feel are the main reasons for people starting collections? Owning works by contemporary creatives? Does it always come down to personal choice, or are people drawn to certain medium?
Historically, groups of people and institutions collected to showcase their power, wealth, intelligence and status. Things have changed and it is now a much more personal process, and the amount of those deciding to collect, and invest in the arts is ever increasing. Collecting is a very human process and natural instinct, connected to nesting, homemaking and surrounded ourselves with affirmations and stories. Whether it be amassing shells as a child from a trip to the beach, objects and works of art document experience and memories, and connect us to the wider human condition. It can be an incredibly rewarding experience to invest in - especially works by living artists and makers - and be able to surround yourself with, and enjoy their hard work every day.
Collecting can also be somewhat of an obsession, the desire to have the very best means that people are constantly on the hunt! Of course, there are aesthetic reasons for collecting, and the desire to live amongst beautiful things. It cannot be ignored that art is now also seen as a very worthwhile investment, so monetary value also plays a part.
In terms of medium, unless someone has made the choice to only collect a certain genre or medium, collecting has become much more cross-disciplinary, so if someone collects paintings, they are also likely to collect sculpture, works on paper, ceramics etc. I think more work needs to be done in encouraging such collectors wholeheartedly into the world of contemporary crafts. This is slowly changing and the hierarchies between what is traditionally known as ‘fine art’ and ‘decorative’ art or ‘craft’ are being blurred. I think the work of Cluster Crafts and other platforms are vital to this change in perception.
Georgia Powell and Liza Shapiro
Georgia Powell and Liza Shapiro
What advice and key insights can you offer for those interested in starting their own collection? In some cases, it may seem a ‘daunting’ prospect or something ‘unreachable’ to begin a collection. Where does one begin and how can those interested tap into this market?
It is true that the arts sector can be very daunting, especially understanding the art market, and building trusted relationships with advisors and galleries. This is why we wanted to help those starting to collect through our membership scheme. I think the key is doing your preliminary research - Instagram can be a great way to find artists and makers. Work out the types of works that you like and see if there is a commonality between them. Perhaps you want to focus your collection on one particular theme - be it collecting female artists, or a genre from art history, for instance Modern British. There is also such a choice in galleries that you are bound to find one that suits your needs and promotes the work of artists and makers that you are drawn to.
At Cluster, as a creative platform providing a network of designers and space to sell work; what advice can you offer to engage the minds of a collector? Where can such a connection be found?
I think collectors should be encouraged - and I hope we will help with this - to see themselves as vitally important, as custodians of human culture. As the art market thrives and prices continue to go up, museums, galleries and other institutions are being priced out of the market (with increasing cuts in the sector) meaning that many important works are in private hands. Private collectors are therefore incredibly important figures in the future of maintaining and preserving works of historical significance.
In your experience, are private collectors keen to explore new work or maintain and remain with their current collections? How might this vary between different collectors?
It really does depend, I think people that collect art are generally inquisitive in nature, so are normally willing to learn more about a subject or be introduced to something new. More often than not, they also have very clear ideas about what they like/dislike.
Georgia Powell
Georgia Powell and Liza Shapiro
What’s your opinion on access to collections, keeping them private or opening up access to the public and exhibiting collected works? What value can be had in opening up ‘unseen’ collections?
It’s one of our main missions to encourage and support the process of providing access to otherwise widely unseen works through administering loans, curating exhibitions and implementing educational initiatives. There are so many incredible works in private collections, and this is only increasing. However, we also have to remain sensitive and respectful that collectors own these objects, and may not want to share them. Of course the biggest value in opening up otherwise unseen collections, or individual works, is that they fulfill their role as an art piece in inspiring and educating others. For the collector, allowing access can add to the provenance of the work, and therefore its value.
Being based in London and LA, Is there any cross over in support and networking between the two cities? Does this widen up the market for you at all?
Despite being based in two cities, we speak most days, and our work is a collaborative effort. The two cities offer very different environments in the arts: London is very well established, and so has a certain credibility and tradition, whereas the LA art scene is much newer and it is exciting to see galleries and collectors engaging in contemporary works and supporting artists. It’s really wonderful to have access to the best of both worlds.
Georgia Powell and Liza Shapiro
In future, curators may need to rely more heavily on collectors for exhibition works. How might this alter the relationships between collectors, curators with museums and galleries?
I think this is already happening, and the sector is having to be less divided. When visiting exhibitions, other than viewing the works, my main obsession is checking the labels to see where the works have been lent from. A recent visit to the Lucian Freud exhibition at the Royal Academy revealed that the curators had relied on private collections for over 50% of the works displayed. Platforms such as Vastari are bridging this gap, and it is one of our main concerns : to connect the dots between private collectors, the commercial art world and museum professionals.
Could you describe a little bit about Cura Collective and how collectors can get involved? Could similar support be targeted for artists - how would this look?
CURA Collective is our new membership plan, providing a comprehensive resource for all stages of collecting, from those purchasing their first artwork to established patrons looking to enhance or exhibit their collections. We wanted to offer a membership that ensured continuous care, assessment and management of private collections, allowing members to pay an annual fee for our services. We also wanted to make the membership accessible and encourage those just starting to collect to think about their role and responsibilities, so therefore decided to offer three levels of membership.
Collections management is a continuous process, the core of which is creating and maintaining a digital inventory using detailed documentation. Museum and gallery collections are regularly assessed and this sustained approach to collections management is responsible, efficient and effective. Maintaining records and providing conservation guidance will ultimately protect your collection, its value and the legacy of the artists represented. Joining CURA Collective will ensure that your collection receives the highest standard of continued care and expertise, offering you peace of mind for many years to come.
What does the future look like for CURA, and what future projects / work are you hoping to secure?
We’re really excited about formally launching our membership scheme, CURA Collective, as well as the podcast that we’ve been recording in lockdown. We have some big projects with private collections lined up and are keen to get started on them once things have opened up again. We’re also looking into how we can expand our outreach; to offer our membership services to support artists and arts institutions.
Thank you for reading,
Cluster Crafts