03/14/2021

Dr. Lisa Belisle: 

Hello, this is Dr. Lisa Belisle and you are listening to Radio Maine, our inaugural show, and today it's my great pleasure to speak with Emma Wilson, who is the director of the Portland Art Gallery on Middle Street in Portland, Maine. Good to see you today, Emma. 

Emma Wilson: 

Good to see you as well. Thank you for having me. 

Dr. Lisa Belisle: 

Thank you for being here. It's been an interesting year, hasn't it? 

Emma Wilson: 

It has. It has for all of us, right? Those in healthcare and beyond? 

Dr. Lisa Belisle: 

Totally true. For example, our studio space, which we've created so that we can move forward with Radio Maine has a chair sitting on the other side of the table from me and you're not in it. You are, in fact, joining us virtually, which is nice. And, we're also happy to have you, but this kind of distancing from other people it's been challenging, hasn't it? 

Emma Wilson: 

It has. It feels somewhat unnatural, although it's become much more natural now to be having these exchanges virtually, but I look forward to the time when we can just be in the shared space together. It will be lovely. 

Dr. Lisa Belisle: 

Tell me what this has meant for the Portland Art Gallery. I know this has been a time where you and Kevin, Emma, Emily, and Missy, and all the artists had to really pull together and be resilient and be creative, and stay open even if not physically open, for the last year. What's that been like? 

Emma Wilson: 

Well, I've learned so much over the last year whether or not it's been in terms of the value and the strength of the team that we have that I work with, also with our artists and then also with our clients. There's been times when it's been, in the beginning, when we put out the call to our artists to say, “please just keep working and keep painting and we want to support you and we want to support your livelihood” and then looking at each other and saying, okay, how are we going to do this? How are we going to stay open during this time? And the answer quickly became through the virtual, online connection. Then, making that transition as quickly and smoothly as possible was really important so that there wasn't any interruption in our business practices. 

We were somewhat well-prepared already by having a strong website and having actually produced, and invested in, short documentary films of our artists and other ways that we could communicate the strength of our artists and their work to people through a digital platform. So, we just really just worked very hard, and got very focused on that mode of communicating with folks, and that stream of our business practice. So, while it has been, I would say uncomfortable, while I have missed that sort of personal exchange, the one-on-ones with people. We're open now, so we can see more people in our gallery space in person. But, it was just realizing that we're going to still stay connected. We'll do whatever it takes in order to do that. So busy, so good.

Dr. Lisa Belisle: 

You bring up something that I can relate to having been in healthcare throughout all of this, working as a family doctor up in central Maine. We went from seeing patients in-person to doing telephone visits only, literally overnight, to keep our staff safe, to keep our patients safe. The same thing seems true for you. You decided, okay, we can't do these openings anymore and bring a lot of people into our space, but we need to somehow keep doing openings and keep featuring the work of these artists who are continuing to create and keep bringing people together in a way that makes sense for the times. And so, you came up with virtual art show openings. What was that first virtual opening like for you? 

Emma Wilson: 

That was April. I remember artist Cooper Dragonette, we were almost giddy with anticipation, but we were also super nervous, like, is this going to work? And I remember us all being in our remote sections and texting back and forth with Kevin and Cooper and just sort of saying, "all right, here we go." And then, afterwards, realizing that we reached an audience 10 times what we'd normally reach after a regular opening. Also, really nice feedback started coming in from our artists. We were so excited.  And from clients and friends just saying, this is great, that you're still gonna offer this opportunity to bring art into our homes and into our lives. And so, from there, we expanded and we added something called Matterport. Our friend, Alexa Oestreicher from Legacy Properties Sothebys International Realty, had introduced us to this idea of using Matterport, which is the real estate program where you can do a virtual walkthrough of homes.  We brought that into the gallery. So with each month, we started adding a few things and getting a little bit more refined. But that very first one that we did, it was kind of fun because all of a sudden it, because, you know, it worked and it was a way to try something new. And so now, we are continuing to use it as a platform.

Dr. Lisa Belisle: 

Matterport is very interesting because it enables a virtual reality kind of experience, through the eyes of the camera, you get to zoom in and look at a piece more closely or zoom out and see what it might look like on your wall. It's a really fun use of technology. Do you think you would have gotten into that technology if you hadn’t needed to be resourceful in the way that you have as a result of COVID? 

Emma Wilson: 

I'm not sure. It was definitely offered to us prior to COVID as a possibility, we had a short, smaller one of our home installs on our website, but I don't know that we would have. It's been perfect and our artists love to use it because they can walk through and see where their work is, where it is installed for the group show that month. And I see many of them that do screenshots. And when a client is interested in a piece, and we've added it on the wall, we go and do a screenshot and send that to them. So they get a better understanding of the what the piece looks like at different angles. It's been a fantastic tool for us. 

Dr. Lisa Belisle: 

That's kind of been the name of the game. Maybe these are things we would have gotten to eventually, but everything was speeding up as a result of COVID. We certainly found that in medicine, we were working off of the idea that we were going to start going virtual, but it wasn't necessarily virtual right away. But when we needed to do it, we needed to do it. So we did.

Emma Wilson: 

Yes. It's a strange place where you're speeding up, but you're also slowing down because you were speeding up to try to figure those things out, but in other areas of your life you just have to slow down for reasons of safety, of course, and being in your home or whatever it might be. And so it's been an interesting place to be over the last year, as you're trying to move forward and be really progressive and current and then also abide by the rules  and just slow down and take an interest in what's going on around you.

Dr. Lisa Belisle: 

In the virtual openings, you give remarks every month and you work with artists who also give remarks on their works. So you've really needed to develop essentially an on-air presence. And I'm wondering how comfortable that has felt for you. 

Emma Wilson: 

Oh, not so much. It's been a been a journey For those that were part of our community, they all remember when I would do the introductory remarks at a live opening. It was really uncomfortable for me but with practice, that's what everybody always says, right? You keep practicing and things get stronger, things get more comfortable. I may have told you at some point that my dad was a broadcaster for years. I never thought that I would be on that side of the camera. And I was like, oh my gosh. So I would channel him a bit, and say, all right. I do remember some of the things that he would say. But you have got to push yourself no matter what. People are doing things a lot more difficult and complicated things than what I'm doing. 

Dr. Lisa Belisle: 

How do you think the artists have dealt with this whole experience? My feeling, having spoken to artists in the past, is that they tend to be a somewhat solitary group anyway but at the same time they also really enjoy the connections with people. So what is your sense about what the artist experience has been during COVID? 

Emma Wilson: 

By and large, we hear from artists that they're more introverted. They're more introverts than that. They are spending time in their studio. They are spending an enormous amount of time doing that has felt really good for them, but at the same time, many of them have major life events or, you know, they've had to make certain adjustments because of the pandemic. I know that there's been some challenges for folks. We asked them to continue to create and to stay really active and engaged with their art making. I heard from some artists that really gave him a sense of purpose when all of a sudden, you're not sure what's going to happen and there's this level of uncertainty. I just am so impressed and have such tremendous respect for our artists.

Dr. Lisa Belisle: 

You've had members of your artist family who really have dealt with significant life transitions as you referred to. You've had family members who became ill, family members who passed away, I believe early on in the process, not related to COVID there was an artist who herself passed away. I mean, you continue to bring art into the world, but the worlds of these artists have been significantly impacted in other ways. How do you think that one is capable of remaining resilient and creative during life's big transitions? 

Emma Wilson: 

What I have found is that when it's becomes a means for expression, so whatever an artist might be experiencing at that time, they somehow channel or integrate that into their work. For example, Jane Damon is one of our artists whose husband died prior to COVID. She took a big long break from painting and creating. She just felt like she couldn't bring herself to doing it. And that was completely understandable. Then when she came back in, it was right around the time of COVID to be painting. And she created this really impactful body of work called sequestered, and there were interiors and there were figural pieces and she typically does these huge landscapes. And so it was a different composition, but this is what she was experiencing. This is what she was drawn to. This is what she wanted to create. And it was so well received, especially her interiors with the sort of David Hockney-esque interior painting. 

Matt Russ signed on to do this project 20/20 in 2020 with Maine Island Trails Association as a collaborative project. He was creating 20 paintings that were the size of 20 x 20 and 20 locations in the year 2020. It was a partnership with MITA and the gallery and him. It would be his original work in COVID, but he was still able to be outside. And while we weren't able to have that big reception, we were still able to promote his work virtually and have smaller scheduled visitations. And it was still an extremely successful collaboration and profitable for all partners involved. And he created a gorgeous, gorgeous work. 

Dr. Lisa Belisle: 

One of the things that the Portland Art Gallery is very good at is exploring art through different types of media. You have video on your website. We've talked about the virtual openings. Then you have very beautifully done emails that go out on a regular basis with the feature specific artists or new work by artists. Why is it important to offer different ways for people to experience art? 

Emma Wilson: 

Because we're all different. I mean, the bottom line is we want to be able to reach as broad an audience as possible. And the way in which we do that is to try to tap into whatever that person's communication style is and what works for them. I know that there are clients that it's much better if I send them a text with a photo. And then there are others who just wait for the Sheep Jones e-blast to come out. And when it's out, they act fast. The short documentary films of our artists provide a really nice intimate view. 

Dr. Lisa Belisle: 

It does seem like you've consistently upped your game. It's incredible to me that I will continue to open these emails and the percentage of works that I really can relate to or would feel excited about owning. Not that I'm going to own a high percentage of them just because of, you know, wall space. I mean, I'll look at something and say, wow, that's gorgeous. You've continued to not only elicit high quality work from your artists, but also bring in new artists. You've brought in several new artists over the last year.

Emma Wilson: 

Yes, it's true. We will often send out emails to our artists group  if there's a new artist. Then all of a sudden, they're included and welcomed in by everyone. We are able to work with artists that are not just in the Maine area, but also open that up a little bit to new areas. We feel like we're in a position where we can actually expand our artist roster as opposed to shrink it. 

Dr. Lisa Belisle: 

You mentioned Sheep Jones, and I know that her work is incredibly popular. It's compelling, it's whimsical, it's colorful. And you must like she work personally because you have a piece behind you on the wall. 

Emma Wilson: 

Yes, I do. It’s called Root Cellar. Do you want me to tell you the story?

Dr. Lisa Belisle: 

Yes, I’d love to hear the story.

Emma Wilson: 

So this painting arrived in the gallery. And when I was looking at the sheet, it said "Sister's House." In the painting, there are four trees and I am the youngest of four girls. My sisters are very close. In the painting there are three barrels in the root cellar. And I have three children. I just felt an immediate connection to the composition. I was trying to figure out which sister was which tree. And I was like, I have to move forward with it. So now the painting is a part of our family, which I'm very happy about 

Dr. Lisa Belisle: 

This idea of the story is one that's crucial to the work that the Portland Art Gallery is doing. Some people will buy art as an investment and some people buy art as a decoration, but some people buy art because there's something about the art itself. And I would argue a pretty high percentage of your clients buy art because they connect to the story. You have clients getting in touch with you from California, Hong Kong, and Great Britain. Tell me about the importance of story and connection when it comes to art. 

Emma Wilson: 

We hear a lot about people who have that connection with Maine. We're so fortunate here. Whether or not someone gets to experience living here or visiting, they might still dream about it. Just the idea of beauty and peace and hopefulness is something that people want to add to their story. And so that's what people are searching for when they're looking for the work. I'd say most of the people are not looking at purchasing art from an investment standpoint; it's more like a mental health investment standpoint. 

I recall a woman from California who followed Jean Jack as an artist for years. She was 78 years old and she saw one and was finally like, I need to have one in my life. She went ahead and decided to make a purchase and we shipped it out to her. It was a very emotional moment for her to be at that point in her life, where she was able to purchase a piece by Jean Jack, someone that she had been following for many, many years. 

Dr. Lisa Belisle: 

As I was referring to earlier, in my other profession as a doctor, we have been engaging with our patients on a virtual platform for several months. And one of the things I really enjoy about that is the ability to peek into their lives. A patient yesterday had his dogs, Lola and Ginger, ( I don't think I'm giving away any sort of HIPAA information by telling you the names of the dogs), but he also had his rock music posters on the wall behind him. And it helped me to understand him better, and what's important to him. I know that teachers have felt the same way. And keep up Zoom communications with your clients and artists. Tell me about the importance of that spacial connection when we use art in our homes or in our offices. 

Emma Wilson: 

Yes. I feel as though I've been invited into more people's homes since COVID happened than before, which is ironic, right? Because we're not really supposed to be in each other's homes, but I've been there virtually. We use Photoshop to create "virtual installlations" for clients, combining photos of their home with images of their favorite artworks. The idea is to help clients get a sense for how piece would look in their home prior to it actually showing up. 

I hear more and more about what how that piece is going to become a part of a person's home or an office than I did before. It's certainly an upside because it creates more understanding of why the client might want a piece of art to be part of their life. You mentioned the posters, or the dogs, photographs of family members or, you know, people’s children even weigh in on the decision. So it’s just been a really nice opportunity and really great. 

Dr. Lisa Belisle: 

You've also been a part of celebrations. You’ve been able to work with Stephanie Brown at North 43 and bringing art into celebrations that she has done in collaboration with area businesses. Instead of putting our heads in the sand at this time, you've been able to partner with like-minded individuals. So how do you find the people that have decided to approach this from a position of resilience? 

Emma Wilson: 

Hmm. That's a tricky, but I mean, maybe you just find the people because you have that same type of energy for each other. I mean, I feel as though our artists are those people and some of the partners like Stephanie Brown with North 43. She was such a good partner before this all happened as well. She approached us with her creative ideas during COVID, and it was no brainer to just say, absolutely, let's see if we can make this happen. Some ideas are more successful than others, but I thought she did a great job of working with her clients to celebrate the holidays. Whether it's visual art or written word or music-- they help us understand all these different conditions of what we're experiencing. And so, and they help us all, hopefully, find some sort of peace.

Dr. Lisa Belisle: 

I also think that it has been important for all of us to meet people where they're coming from. I mentioned connecting with people who are resilient, but still being open to other people's experiences of not feeling that resilient. And, you know, this has been obviously incredibly difficult for so many people, whether they've experienced illness or the death of a loved one, or even just the isolation. There's an older woman who celebrated her 93rd birthday that I just talked to the other day. And I am not sure I've ever met her in person, but every few months I get on the phone with her, I have a conversation with her about her life and how she is, how things are going for her. And I think even those small outreaches are more meaningful for me than they are for her, because she's lived a good full life. 

Emma Wilson: 

Yes, I have such respect for you and all the people that are in the medical profession, helping people through so much anxiety. It's been amazing to observe. But yes, I've noticed that people want to stay on the phone longer. I know that people are looking for connection. I'm sure that your patient is very appreciative and looks forward to those conversations with you with as much as you do with her.

Dr. Lisa Belisle: 

Well, you also mentioned something that I think comes up a lot for me in the work that I do. And that is the importance of having a sense of purpose. Maybe it's caring for a child or an elderly parent. People have had to reconfigure their priorities. So I think this is a time of great transition and shifting for all of us, not only as individuals, but also as a culture.

Emma Wilson: 

Well, in terms of the gallery, I am always looking forward to the next thing. We're not going to stand still. And that's exciting to me, always having something to look forward to. Personally, I'm moving next week. So that's something I'm looking forward to. I know I look forward to having more people in the gallery space and having more people visit us in Maine, for sure. But in the meantime we'll stay connected with people virtually. 

Dr. Lisa Belisle: 

I wish you all the best on your upcoming, major life transition. I've enjoyed very much working with you throughout these years and being your friend throughout these years. And, I give you a lot of credit for staying hopeful, staying strong, bringing art into the world, connecting with everybody on your staff and your artists. And, I appreciate your being with me on the first episode of Radio Maine. 

Emma Wilson: 

Yes. Thank you, for your support. You are a tremendous, tremendous person and it's so wonderful knowing that you're here with the team. 

Dr. Lisa Belisle: 

Well, thank you, Emma. And I look forward to speaking with artists and other interesting people in the upcoming months as a part of Radio Maine. It has really been a joy to start this process and start it with my good friend, Emma Wilson, director of the Portland Art Gallery in Portland, Maine on Middle Street. So please take the time to connect with Emma and her wonderful group, either in person or virtually. As Emma has said, they're always available and definitely worth getting to know. 

Emma Wilson: 

Thanks again.