Tell me about the artist exhibits.

Once or twice a year at the large cocktail parties, we have one or more artists exhibiting their work. Artist exhibits fit nicely into the parties, since they are unobtrusive — if you don't like the art, you can simply ignore it.

How do you decide which artists exhibit their art?

I've formed a committee to decide this, consisting of gallery owners and people who are very knowledgeable about art. They make the decision about which artists exhibit, and I have no say over this — it is strictly the committee's decision. This committee also handles all of the logistics.

What do you look for in committee members?

On this committee I'm looking for individuals (i) who have the requisite education and taste to pick appropriate artists and (ii) have the administrative skills to handle the logistics. (Any particular individual on this committee doesn't have to have both, but must have at least one.) Linda Ellison currently comprises the committee. Currently she is not looking for additional committee members, but if she was, a gallery owner/manager or a serious private collector who would be good choices.

Which artists will the committee consider?

1. Since we want to support and encourage local artists, the artist must be based in New England, with a preference for the greater Boston area, Providence, or New Hampshire (as opposed to, say, Maine).
2. The artist cannot be too established. If they are already making a substantial living solely through their art, then they don't need my parties to help them. (Economists would say that this creates perverse economic incentives, in that those who are successful (and presumably good) should not be penalized. My response is that realistically my parties are not going to make a large impact on the New England art world.)
3. The artist must be serious about his art. The ideal profile would be someone who currently can't support himself as an artist and who hopes to eventually do so. If you're a dabbler (you paint one painting a year as a hobby), that's not what we're looking for. If you have an alternative career and you are serious about your art (i.e., realistically you will be selling your art work in the future, even if you will never be able to completely support yourself as an artist), that's consistent with what we are looking for.
4. We have a slight preference for artists whose work is viewable on the Internet, either through their own Web site or a gallery Web site, but this is not essential.

Isn't there a conflict of interest in having a gallery owner on the committee? Wouldn't they use the committee to find artists for their gallery?

That's quite possible and if it happens, I welcome it. One of my goals is to help talented, unknown artists, and if an artist finds a gallery to exhibit his or her work as a result of my parties, that's a good thing.

I'm an artist who wants to exhibit my paintings at your large cocktail parties. How should I contact you?

You should contact Linda Ellison, rather than me.

Do art critics attend your parties?

There are a couple of art critics on the invitation list and we'd like to have more. The goal would be to have most of the art critics in Boston on the invitation list, who would write reviews of the art exhibited at the large parties. If you know any art critics, please send me their names, e-mail addresses and contact information.