Veronica Stabley, Partnerships & Artist Relations Consultant on Influential Women

Influential Woman · Art Business

Veronica Stabley

Partnerships & Artist Relations Consultant, Self-Employed

Brooklyn, NY

10Years experience
1Award received

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Bachelor's degree from Temple University in Philadelphia Degree Master's degree in Art Business from Sotheby's Institute of Art Degree Graduated with honors and distinction in 2016

Her Story

About Veronica

I studied art history in school, thinking I would go into gallery management or gallery operations, but moving to New York to study art business for my master's really showed me how different that actually looks in practice. Starting out my career, I was really excited about all of the different paths that art history and art business could take me down. At that time, I was really excited about doing heavy provenance research and was working in art insurance, which I think was the definition of art business for me at that time. Transitioning out of that, I went into the auction world, doing more research and auction coordination for years. From there, I worked with Saatchi, an e-commerce art platform, in a fully remote role during the pandemic. My most recent full-time role before moving to contractor work was with Infinite Objects, which focused on the stewardship of working with a different subset of artists, specifically digital artists and video production. I was Head of Artist Relations and really did a lot of process streamlining there. That was the last full-time role before I decided I really had enough under my belt to start my own business. Having that experience of working with artists directly and working with founders directly, I was able to take all of that knowledge and build a practice that surrounds working with early-stage artists, helping them build out their tools and processes, and helping map their experience to the right galleries or partnerships. That's been my focus in the last year, and I'm really feeling like I'm in a good part of that business now.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Veronica

01What do you attribute your success to?

I attribute my success to perseverance and finding opportunities that maybe, on the surface, aren't exactly right, but finding ways to bring my own special flair into them. I also rely on my network and reach out to those in my circle to find things that do align with what I'm looking for. It's about showing up for myself despite the challenges and not being intimidated by the fact that there are other people doing what I do, because I think everyone's able to bring their own special flair.

02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

The best career advice I received came from my mentor Judith Prada, an art lawyer from the Sotheby's Institute. She really helped frame the art world in a way that made it seem more tangible and gave me the advice to not be intimidated by there being other people doing what I do. She supported me through my master's degree and helped me understand that everyone is able to bring their own special flair to their work.

03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

I would say don't be intimidated by the fact that there are other people doing what you do, because I think everyone's able to bring their own special flair. Just keep showing up for yourself, despite the challenges. The art world can seem intimidating, but it's important to remember that you have something unique to offer.

04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

Right now, because of where the economy is, the arts always kind of take a hit during that. People are wanting to hold on to their money, and it's harder to get people to spend on something frivolous like art. It's really important to stay on board for the ebb and flow. The art market will always go up and down - that's the nature of what it is. It's a volatile market. When I think about how it feels right now, I just remember that there will be a time in the future when the market will be up, and it'll feel different. It's not always a forever thing when the market's down.

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