Q: You’re taking over the show after what some consider a disappointing few years. What went wrong?
A: I’ve been an artist in the Downtown Denver Arts Festival for seven of the last eight years, and the show was always fairly good from the standpoint of the artists, the crowds and the support of the community. The only failure in the last two years has been the management.
Q: What kind of management expertise do you bring?
A: I was a stockbroker for 13 years. I did business consulting and mergers and acquisitions and all those sorts of things. Then I spent 16 years making my livelihood full time as an artist. I can attract the artists because a lot of artists in Colorado know me very well.
Q: You’ve taken this job without the promise of a paycheck. What gave you the confidence to do that?
A: I’m glad you called it confidence. I’m wondering what I would call it right now. I’ve been self-employed since I was 21 years old. I don’t know what a paycheck is, and so I’ve lost sight of that, probably.
I feel like it’s up to me. If the show is financially successful, I can pay myself at the end. If it’s not, then it’s my fault and why should I get paid?
Q: Why did you make the career change from business to art?
A: Ever since I was 6 or 7, I wanted to be a photographer. Sixteen years ago, I realized I wasn’t getting any younger, and it was time to do what my passion was instead of ignoring it.
Q: What kind of photography do you do?
A: I’m known for my studio work. I always felt that since I started with a blank canvas, studio work was more my art. I like shooting nature, of course, but I also feel that nature did 90 percent of the work. I just had to show up at the right lighting time and compose it.
Q: Do you see similarities between how the art and business worlds operate?
A: They’re fairly different, and I think that’s where I become sort of a unique person. A lot of shows are run by businesspeople who never did an art show in their life or occasionally by an artist who thinks, “Wow, the promoter is making all the money. I’m going to be a promoter,” even though they have no concept of what that takes. I bring both of those things to the table.
Q: Do you ever feel like this show lives in the shadow of the Cherry Creek Arts Festival?
A: No. Cherry Creek’s mission is very different. They are national and international in their scope. Our focus is to find the best artists in Colorado and let Colorado people support them. When people go to other shows – not just Cherry Creek – those artists are from all over the country. All the money leaves the state as soon as they drive away. One of the reasons you can feel good about our show is that the money stays in the local economy.
Q: How important are shows like this to the artists?
A: If an artist has a website, and it’s doing 5 percent of their sales, that’s pretty good. The shows are pretty much how artists do their business. I had to do 18 to 20 shows a year in order to make a living.
Q: What is the logic behind having the show at the Denver Pavilions?
A: It’s a destination already. People already have shopping on their minds, so you’ve crossed that first barrier. The performing-arts complex is not a place where people hang out for the weekend. There wasn’t a bowing alley or movie theater or restaurants or retail, so the show didn’t get accidental customers.
As an artist, I was a little bit concerned when they first moved it because I liked the performing-arts complex. But my sales tripled, so my concerns disappeared very quickly.
Edited for space and clarity from an interview by staff writer Kristi Arellano.
