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b r o w n g r o tta .c o m
TOM GROTTA AND RHONDA
B r o w n d id n ’t se t o u t to b e art
d ealers. B u t th eir g o o d ta ste -
an d frie n d s w h o in siste d o n b u y -
ing a rtw o rk fro m th eir h o m e -
led th em to o p e n b r o w n g r o tta
arts. T o d a y , th e
2 4
-year-o ld
b u sin e ss, b ased in W ilt o n , C o n -
n e c tic u t, re p re se n ts to p fib er
artists fro m m o re th an
2 5
c o u n -
trie s. T h o u g h its b e g in n in g w a s
se re n d ip ito u s, its su cce ss is n o t.
G r o tta an d B r o w n , b o th o f
w h o m h a v e o th e r jo b s , w o r k
tire le s s ly to b u ild th e ir b u sin ess.
A lth o u g h th e y h a v e n o p u b lic
s h o w ro o m , th e y p re se n t at
S O F A and o th e r s h o w s . B u t
th e ir m ain v e h ic le s are th e ir
w e b s ite , w ith m o re th an
1 , 0 0 0
im a g e s; th e ir ca ta lo g s, w h ic h
h a v e se t a n e w stan d ard fo r fib e r
art in p rin t; and th e ir in v e n tiv e
“ d igital p la c e m e n t” s e rv ic e ,
w h ic h en ab les a v irtu a l sales p r o -
cess. W ith th is u n u su al b u sin ess
m o d e l, b r o w n g r o tta arts has
g r o w n its n e tw o r k o f clie n ts fa r
b e y o n d th e lim ita tio n s o f a
b rick -a n d -m o rta r sto re .
W h a t d r a w s y o u to te x tile s ?
B r o w n : T h e n atu ral m a te ria ls,
th e te c h n iq u e s , th e m a k e rs.
G r o tt a : T h e h a p tic q u a litie s,
an d an a p p re c ia tio n o f w o r k
th a t re q u ire s so m u ch p a tie n c e ,
w h ic h I d o n ’t h a v e .
Y o u r c a ta lo g s a n d b o o k s a re
b e a u tifu l. H o w d id y o u b e g in
p r o d u c in g th e m ?
G r o tt a : E a r ly o n , n o b o d y w a s
s h o w in g te x tile w o r k in d e p th .
W h e n it w a s b e in g c a ta lo g u e d ,
it w a s b e in g p h o to g ra p h e d flat -
o b scu rin g th e th ree-d im en sio n al,
ta c tile q u a litie s th a t re a lly m ak e
te x tile s sin g . S o I to o k o n a m is-
sio n to p h o to g ra p h te x tile s .
B e c a u s e I also run an a d v e r tis -
in g a g e n c y , I w a s ab le to p u r-
ch a se a lo t o f to y s a lo n g th e w a y
- ty p e s e tte r s , s c a n n e rs, d ig ita l
p re s s , b in d e r y e q u ip m e n t. M o s t
g a lle rie s c o u ld n ’t a ffo rd to
do w h a t I did. It e v o lv e d , quite
fra n k ly , into th e p art th at I e n jo y
m ost in w h a t w e do.
B r o w n : O v e r th e y e a r s , w e ’v e
g o tte n m u ch m o re a m b itio u s.
W e n o w h ire an e s s a y is t and
la b o r o v e r th e b io g ra p h ic a l
in fo rm a tio n .
E x p la in “ d ig ita l p la c e m e n t.”
G r o tta : B a s ic a lly , y o u m a y lik e
[a w o r k ] , b u t y o u ’re n o t su re.
S o w e d ig ita lly sc a le it in p e o -
p le ’ s sp a ce s so th e y ca n se e h o w
it lo o k s . W e ’v e d o n e th is resi-
d e n tia lly , c o m m e r c ia lly , an d
w e ’v e also d o n e m u seu m in sta l-
la tio n s. A n d th a t h as ch a n g e d
th e b u sin e ss d ra m a tic a lly . In th e
p a s t t w o y e a r s , th e m a jo rity o f
o u r b u sin e ss h as co m e o f f th e
w e b s ite . F e w e r an d f e w e r o f
o u r c lie n ts e v e r c o m e to us.
S o y o u s e ll p e o p le th in g s th e y
h a v e n e v e r s e e n in p e r s o n . D o
y o u se e e v e r y t h in g y o u s e ll?
G r o tta : Y e s . A s fa r as I ’m c o n -
ce rn e d , I d o n ’t u n d erstan d th e
w o r k u n til I see it b eh in d th e len s.
I also n e ed to install it. I h a v e to
u n d erstan d th e w o r k so th at i f
so m e b o d y asks m e a q u estio n ,
I fe e l k n o w le d g e a b le ab o u t it.
W h o ’ s y o u r ty p ic a l b u y e r ?
G r o tt a : W e d o n ’t h a v e a ty p ic a l
b u y e r . B e fo r e th e re c e s s io n , w e
h ad a g o o d c o re o f c o lle c to r s .
W e d o n ’ t h a v e c o lle c to r s a n y -
m o re ; w e h a v e p e o p le w h o are
d e c o ra tin g , w h ic h m ean s m o re
c lie n ts fro m m o re p la c e s , b u t
n o t as m a n y d e p e n d a b le o n e s.
W h a t ’ s n e x t?
G r o tta : T h e r e h a ve b een an
a w fu l lo t o f d ealers and sh o w s
th at sp en d to o m uch tim e ca te r-
ing to th e b ase. Y o u d o n ’t g r o w
fro m th ere. T h e g ro w th in this
m a rk e t is to b rin g m o re p e o p le
in to th e fo ld . A s th e e co n o m y
ch an g es, as th e clien ts ch an ge,
as the d em o g rap h ic ch an ges,
w e h a ve to ch an ge to o - w ith o u t
lo sin g sen se o f w h e re w e ’v e co m e
fro m . T h e art is a co n sta n t, b u t
h o w y o u g e t it to p e o p le o r h o w
p eo p le see it, th at’s ever-ch an gin g.
- A N D R E W
Z O E L L N E R
A n d r e w Z o e lln e r is
A m e r ic a n
C r a ft
a ssista n t editor.
Above: Browngrotta’s
best-selling publications
include
L e n o r e T a w n e y :
D r a w i n g s i n A i r
, 2007
(third from left).
Top: Aussie shepherd
Jazzy is in fine company,
sitting to the right of a Jiro
Yonezawa bamboo and
urushi lacquer sculpture.
Right: Two pieces by
Ritzi Jacobi anchor a
vivid vignette with Mary
Merkel-Hess’ crimson
I n C h e p h r e n s T e m p le .
0 2 2
a m e r i c a n c r a f t
o c t / n o v n
Photos: Tom Grotta
