Her Story
About Linda
I run Ella West Gallery, which I named after my mother because I watched her as an entrepreneur raise two children as a single mom, and I wanted to always embody what she did with love. Everything that I do is centered in love. Before creating my gallery, I went to galleries and museums all over the world for about 2 years, and I kept noticing that women and people of color were missing in these institutions. Upon further examination, I realized that only 5-6% of the artists that are represented in galleries and museums and major institutions around the world are women, and then even fewer people of color. So I decided that when I create my gallery, I'm gonna be intentional and create a space that redefines what is beautiful and deserving in the canons of art history. I recently started the Black Wall Street Arts Project non-profit, and these days I'm meeting with potential grantors for some of the work I want to try to do in that space. My days are never the same, but they always involve human interaction, connecting with potential collectors, meeting with artists, going to artist studios, and reviewing their work to see if it's something I'm interested in representing.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Linda
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think it's a work ethic, a work ethic that can continue to push ahead in the face of adversity. In the face of obstacles, hardships, naysayers, I have the ability to push forward in the face of what would be considered the hard things.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I think the best career advice I have ever received is to apply for roles even if you don't feel that you have 100% of the requirements. Research has shown that men will apply for roles if they just feel like they've got part of it. Women, if we look at the description and we don't have all of it, we will back ourselves out and say, well, I'm not qualified. The best advice I have ever gotten was, do it anyway. Apply anyway. Do it anyway. Look, go for that role anyway. Because nobody will have 100%. That has worked out for me.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would challenge them to always have a multi-dimensional plan, to not depend on one stream of revenue, and to start with a multi-dimensional plan such that all the work does not depend on one person.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think art is a luxury for the most part, and people are thinking about the price to live, just to live. So I think the biggest challenge is helping people to understand that art collecting, first of all, is not just something for the rich. It is not something that you have to have lots of money to do, because there are ways to start at fairs where you can get little small pieces. But it is incumbent upon us to be stewards of the artist of our day, because in the work that they do lies history and legacy, and without artists, our worlds would be vanilla, with no sprinkles and no chocolate syrup.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Authenticity is most important to me. For so long, we're often trying to be something that we're not, or we're not really leaning into our true superpowers, which are the things that make us unique and special, so I think it's incumbent upon us to just be authentic. One of my other values in my work and professional life is bringing diverse perspectives to the table, and sometimes they are unorthodox. I also value a leadership style that allows you to both lead and follow, depending on the situation.
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