save

Director, Amon Carter Museum of American Art (Fort Worth, TX), Andrew Walker, Artist, Richard Mayhew, Artist Liaison, Alaina Simone, Artist, Tahir Carl Karmali and Artist, Alteronce Gumby, The Battery (San Francisco, CA) for UNTITLED Art San Francisco, 2020. Image courtesy of Alaina Simone Inc.

5 Questions with Alaina Simone of Alaina Simone Inc.

Mar 22, 2024

Alaina Simone is the owner and founder of Alaina Simone Inc.. But that’s just the start. She’s also an art consultant, gallerist, curator, and artist liaison focused on internationally recognized interdisciplinary emerging and established artists, collections, and institutions. And if that’s not enough, she runs Alaina Simone Productions LLC, a production company specializing in creative partnerships between luxury brands, cultural influencers, and contemporary artists actively working across disciplines, practices, and fields.

She has also produced and curated internationally recognized exhibitions with corresponding educational programming. So with this background to share, we were thrilled that she agreed to join our ArtCollect program, as a co-presenter of Module 1: Building Your Art Collection and were eager to learn more about Alaina. Here’s what we found out:

Eve Bailey, “A Cage went in Search of a Bird (F. Kafka) Gesture 6560, 6319 and 6420”, 2010, graphite on paper with Selected Indigenous Art from Allan Stone’s Collection, Pende Helmet Mask (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Dan Zoomorphic Mask (Ivory Coast), Cameroon Figure, Ogoni Mask (Nigeria), Sepik River Mask, Nigerian Shoulder Mask, Bamana Mask (Mali), Yoruba Eshu Figure (Nigeria) and Ijaw Pangolin Headdress (Nigeria) and “Arco Iris”, oil on canvas by Joan Thorne, Simpson & Stone exhibition, collaboration with the Estates of Merton Simpson and Allan Stone, curated by Alaina Simone, 2014. Image courtesy of Alaina Simone Inc.

OK, with so much experience under your belt, we’d love to know what, in your opinion, makes up a great collection.

An Art collection should be invariant and naturally reflect the collector's or institution's interests. The works should all be "Museum Quality" and professionally installed or stored. It is best when the overall integrity and theme of the collection match the Artist's intention. I love it when collectors develop a theme for their collections. I also love when collectors have outlandish collections based on their sheer emotions.

“Touch Has a Memory” exhibition by Kharis Kennedy at Caribbean Museum of Contemporary Art (St. Croix, USVI) curated by Monica Marin and Carla Acevedo-Yates, produced by Alaina Simone Inc., for TAKE 5 in St. Croix, 2016. Image by Wyatt Gallery courtesy of Alaina Simone Inc.

We know that you value being able to share ideas and work with artists, collectors, and institutions from around the world. So, do you have any advice for people who are looking to buy their first piece of artwork?

Buy what you love. Working with a consultant to build your collection is a good idea.

Advisors and consultants provide background information on the artwork and Artist. The buyer should buy art that inspires them and that they want to live with and interact with daily.

Makes perfect sense. Tell us a little bit about how you have made it your mission to elevate Black voices in the art world. How are you fulfilling this important goal?

I am fortunate to work with amazing and talented Artists, foundations, estates, and institutions.

Recently, I wrote an essay for an exhibition, "Black Artists in America: From Civil Rights to the Bicentennial," curated by Dr. Earnestine Jenkins and published by Yale Press and Dixon Galleries in Memphis, Tennessee. This is the second iteration of a three-part traveling exhibition series. The exhibition is on view until May 19, 2024, at Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California.

“MVP: Sculptures by Melvin Van Peebles” at Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Story telling (New York, NY), curated by Damien Davis and Alaina Simone, 2022-2023. Image courtesy of Alaina Simone Inc.

Love that! Although I’m not sure where you find the time, being an art consultant, gallerist, curator, and Artist Liaison all at once. So many hats! What does a day look like for you?

I'm a forever gallerist and a dealer, which means I'm constantly liaising between the Artists and the public. Artists are always the most integral part of the equation for me, so working closely with them has always been the center.
Everything spreads out from there, including conceptualizing and curating an exhibition while simultaneously working with collectors and institutions.

“Green How I Want You Green” Performance by David Antonio Cruz, curated by Monica Marin and Carla Acevedo-Yates, produced by Alaina Simone Inc at Estate Whim Sugar Mill, (St. Croix, USVI), Take 5 in St. Croix, 2016. Image by Wyatt Gallery courtesy of Alaina Simone Inc.

Speaking of curating exhibitions, what was the first show that blew your mind?

That's a tough question. My mind is constantly blown.

The King Tut exhibition that came to Memphis when I was a child changed my life. I never saw anything like it. My brother Ainsley screamed, "They Black, Momma." Our eyes lit up, and it was exciting to see our reflection in the Art and history of this supreme ancient civilization.

Imagine my enthusiasm after discovering that my DNA has a percentage from Egypt. In a way, all these different African, Indigenous, Native and European cultures reflected in my bloodline personally make this journey with Art even more meaningful and impactful.

Author

Alaina Simone

Alaina Simone is the owner and founder of two businesses. Alaina Simone Incorporated is an art gallery and artist liaison consultancy focused on internationally recognized interdisciplinary emerging and established artists, collections, and institutions. Alaina Simone Productions LLC is a production company specializing in creative partnerships between luxury brands, cultural influencers, and...