Art curator Jill Alper helps clients find original art that tells their stories
Collecting art doesn’t have to be intimidating.
What’s most important is to “find what you love, find what connects with you,” art curator Jill Alper says. “It does not have to match perfectly. This is your space and your story, so have fun with it.”
Alper started collecting art in her 20s as she traveled the world. Along the way, she would buy “some type of art, even the smallest piece,” she says, as she met artists and learned about the meaning behind their works. “To this day, I can walk around my house, and I can tell you about each piece.”
As the owner of Jill Alper Curatedesign, Alper helps clients who want original art for their homes and businesses. From choosing pieces to working with framers like Bennetts’ Frame and Art Gallery, as well as lighting and installation companies, to the pieces’ placement, Alper’s process is about curating connections.
“Art is very personal, and it’s something you will see every day,” she says. “People look at various aspects of the pieces, including color and size, and that’s important. But I do think creating the connections through the stories goes so much further.”
A curator, “can make what you love even better and give you a qualified second opinion,” says Kelly Castellani, who enlisted Alper’s help as part of her home’s interior design updates. “I told Jill ‘I know what I like, but I don’t know how to make it the best it can be.’ She guided me on where to look and how to tie pieces together.”
While Alper’s curation process depends on the client, she always starts by asking questions about preferred styles, mediums, and colors. That ensures “I know what they want,” she says, adding that she relies on her relationships with local and regional artists, and galleries that represent artists worldwide, to find pieces.
Instagram also is “so helpful,” she says, because artists “will reach out and introduce themselves or will message me their art. I love that because it puts an image in my head that I can share with clients.”
Art Dates with Jill Alper
Some clients want Alper to directly select specific pieces for one or two rooms. She also takes clients who want to be more involved in the process on what she calls “art dates” to various artists’ studios and galleries.
The dates are “are my favorite part. It’s also what makes my process unique,” Alper says. To create the best experience for her clients, she often does pre-date visits to studios and galleries, selecting potential pieces based on needed sizes, colors, and mediums.
During the dates, clients can ask the artists or gallerists questions about a piece’s creation or the inspiration behind it. “Once they connect with a piece of art or artists, I think about the space, placement, and decor,” she says.
It was because of those dates that Castellani’s collection grew from the requested “couple of pieces” to works from more than 80 emerging and established artists in nine regional galleries. “Part of this art is an homage to my mom,” Castellani says, noting how her late mother taught her to value “beauty in the little things.”
Sometimes creating a collection that tells a client’s story is “not about buying new art,” Alper says. She also updates existing or inherited family pieces by rearranging them or changing the framing.
Framing “can bring a painting to life,” she says. “Determining the right frame is an art within itself. There is so much to consider: the color, size, style, the type of glass that might be needed, and the thickness and colors of the matte.
“But not all art needs to be framed,” she adds. “I have many artists who paint the sides of the canvas, and it looks great.”
Art Curating Tips
While there is rarely a standard way to display art—much of it depends on a client’s personality, style, decor, and more—Alper and Castellani say there are some things to consider:
- Bring artwork into your spaces and “live with it,” Castellani recommends, adding that you should not be afraid to move a piece if it doesn’t work in its initial location.
- Try combining numerous artists and mediums on the same walls and hallways, something Alper says she loves to do.
- Try unique framing, such as showing a painted paper’s raw edges or putting a large mat around a small piece.
- When hanging two or more similar-sized pieces, stagger them instead of hanging them in a straight line. “It helps show the art individually,” Alper says.
- When creating a gallery wall, start on the floor and try different pieces next to each other until you find the right mix.
- When using gallery lighting, pay attention to the ceiling height, what part of the piece you’re trying to accent, and the other lighting around it.
For more information about Jill Alper Curatedesign, email Jill@jillalpercuratedesign.com, visit www.jillalpercuratedesign.com, or follow @jillalper_curatedesign.
