The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 48 No 3 November 2009

Ceramic Spaces
Even if the work is not to my taste but the quality is there, I give it a go. If I am not pleased by it will
someone else be? I think a gallery business shapes itself through its clientele. You can't just reflect your
taste, because business is not personal. It has its own rules and ethics.
OR: What would you say to someone new who doesn't know how to start with galleries?
AM: When an emerging artist wants to show me their work I say, "I am not your judge - your judges
are lined up along the walls there". If I give them a start I put them near another piece of mature art
that draws attention, that they can sit well with, and allow them a little sunlight from that artist.
OR: That's a nice way to put it. So if all that happens and they want to put on a price comparable with
someone who has been around for a long time, a 'mature' artist, what then?
AM: Then we have a conversation. Say I have someone else's mature work, a beautiful large piece
selli ng for $2000. Newcomers might underprice and then I have to elevate that price so I don't take
away from that $2000 piece by having a $200 piece sitting next to it. I try to balance the mature artist
and the newcomer, the time and work involved. The newcomer accepts a lower price Ithan the mature
artist], and the collector then might take a risk on that newcomer. On a known signature there is no
risk; it is an addition to a collection. But there is a risk the other way. The newcomers don't fight me,
and if they did, I would know it's not quite right because we have to work together. It's a partnership.
OR: So have there been instances of people that you just could not deal with?
AM: I've had two in ten years.
OR: More so than many other galleries I have dealt with, you seem to have accumulated collectors and
they seem very dear to you.
Peter and Bobby Rushforth participating in artist talks, a popular event at Skepsi Gallery
88 THE JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIAN CERAMICS NOVEMBER 2009