Below is the interview with Koleen Kaffan with Art World News Magazine.
What are your predictions for the 2025 holiday shopping season?
We think 2025 will be a year where people continue to seek out meaningful, handmade objects, things that feel personal and lasting in a world that’s increasingly digital and mass-produced. There’s a growing awareness that a painting is one of the few truly handmade creations still being produced today. We expect to see more people gravitate toward original artwork as gifts, valuing the story, the craftsmanship, and the connection behind each piece.
What are your predictions for the 2025 holiday shopping season?
We think 2025 will be a year where people continue to seek out meaningful, handmade objects, things that feel personal and lasting in a world that’s increasingly digital and mass-produced. There’s a growing awareness that a painting is one of the few truly handmade creations still being produced today. We expect to see more people gravitate toward original artwork as gifts, valuing the story, the craftsmanship, and the connection behind each piece.
How are you preparing for it?
We’re preparing by curating a show that embodies that very spirit, our Small Works Show, which opens in early December. The exhibition will feature dozens of pieces under 10 inches, each created by artists we represent. It’s designed to make original art more accessible, not just to collect, but to give. We want people to experience what it feels like to gift something made by hand, something that will last generations.
What are your concerns?
Our biggest concern is the continued pull toward disposable, impersonal shopping, fast trends and mass-produced goods that fill carts but not hearts. It’s always a challenge to remind people that art is not just decoration, but a piece of human creativity. But we see that as part of our mission, to keep that conversation alive.
We’re preparing by curating a show that embodies that very spirit, our Small Works Show, which opens in early December. The exhibition will feature dozens of pieces under 10 inches, each created by artists we represent. It’s designed to make original art more accessible, not just to collect, but to give. We want people to experience what it feels like to gift something made by hand, something that will last generations.
What are your concerns?Our biggest concern is the continued pull toward disposable, impersonal shopping, fast trends and mass-produced goods that fill carts but not hearts. It’s always a challenge to remind people that art is not just decoration, but a piece of human creativity. But we see that as part of our mission, to keep that conversation alive.
Tell me about any events or promotions that you have planned.
Our Small Works Show titled “MiniFair” will open during the December ArtWalk and run throughout the holiday season. Each piece will be priced with accessibility in mind, making it possible for both seasoned collectors and first-time buyers to take part. We’ll also be hosting special events where visitors can meet the artists and learn about their processes, reminding everyone that every brushstroke is made by hand, not by machine.
How are these preparations different from other years?This year, our focus is more personal. Rather than centering on large-scale exhibitions, we’re emphasizing intimate, one-of-a-kind works that invite connection. We want to shift the idea of art as something you only collect, to something you can give, a small painting that carries meaning, not just beauty.
Who will be your target audience this holiday season?
We’re focusing on both our existing collectors and a new audience, those who may not yet think of themselves as “art buyers.” The show is meant for anyone who values creativity and authenticity, from young professionals looking for something special to gift, to long-time collectors adding small treasures to their walls.
What will your marketing be to reach these people?
Our marketing will center on storytelling, through our email-newsletter, social media, and press features. We’ll highlight the human side of art: the hours, the emotion, and the individuality behind each piece. We’re also emphasizing the idea of “gifting handmade”—a concept that stands in beautiful contrast to the mass-market offerings that dominate the season.
Our marketing will center on storytelling, through our email-newsletter, social media, and press features. We’ll highlight the human side of art: the hours, the emotion, and the individuality behind each piece. We’re also emphasizing the idea of “gifting handmade”—a concept that stands in beautiful contrast to the mass-market offerings that dominate the season.
Who do you feel is your biggest competition this holiday season and why?
Our biggest competition isn’t another gallery, it’s convenience. Big box retailers and the endless scroll of online shopping can make art feel optional. But art, we believe, is essential. It brings warmth, meaning, and human touch into homes in a way that no manufactured object can.
Anything else worth noting?
More than anything, we’re hopeful. Every year we see more people discover that owning (or gifting) a painting isn’t about prestige, it’s about connection. Our ethos has always been rooted in that: supporting artists, celebrating craftsmanship, and creating a space where art remains what it has always been—a deeply human act.
More than anything, we’re hopeful. Every year we see more people discover that owning (or gifting) a painting isn’t about prestige, it’s about connection. Our ethos has always been rooted in that: supporting artists, celebrating craftsmanship, and creating a space where art remains what it has always been—a deeply human act.
