Lemonade
When life gives you lemons?
Adapt and Survive
Coral Gables based fine art gallery, Conde Contemporary, is relocating to Natchez, Mississippi. Stacy Conde, owner and director of the primarily Latin American gallery, acknowledges at first glance the move may seem counterintuitive.
“Mississippi?!”, Conde smiles, repeating the response she gets when she mentions the move. “Why would you move from Miami to Mississippi? Even people in Mississippi think I’ve lost my mind.” They may think so, but the gallerist has been welcomed to Natchez with open arms and a massive show of support. “Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like it. Locals have thanked us separately on more than one occasion for investing in their town. We’re just an independent gallery not some huge conglomerate. …it makes me want to work even harder- to do right by them, us, everyone.”
Conde at the Conde Contemporary booth, LA Art Show 2020
Conde, née Goodman, a Miami native, spent every summer in rural Mississippi with family growing up. “Natchez was ‘town’, if you needed to go to the eye doctor or wanted to go out to eat, Natchez was the place.” Natchez is the oldest settlement on the Mississippi River. Strategically located on a 100-foot bluff, the town was once home to more millionaires per capita than any other city in the US, a fact reflected in the architecture; Natchez has more antebellum homes than anywhere else in the country. Only two and a half hours from New Orleans and known to many as “The Little Easy”, Natchez is home to a more diverse community than one might imagine.
The town of only 15,000 has fallen on hard times with the year on year loss of jobs and exodus of the community’s youth in search of employment. Much of the wealth in Natchez in tied to the oil industry, and is subject to the ebb and flow of pricing. Economic downturn and the slow drain of a populace makes for very affordable real estate.
Historic homes, Natchez, Mississippi.
“We’ve been dreaming about relocating the gallery to Natchez and opening a teaching artist residency program for years but were concerned the business would suffer. We were so caught up in the daily grind of life in Miami that the idea was perpetually on the back burner. The Covid-19 pandemic has forced us to reexamine our long-term goals and strategies to achieve them”, says Conde.
“The quarantine has shown us, unequivocally, our decision in 2013 to prioritize our online presence and participation in art fairs was wise; we’ve established a global collector base. Though the physical gallery has been shuttered since March 15th, sales have continued. We still see the value in brick and mortar but are no longer willing to pay the astronomical premium of doing business in Miami. We really can live where we want, reduce our overhead and afford to buy our own building. We can create long term stability for ourselves, invest in a community we love and assist in its recovery by utilizing the power of art as a socioeconomic driver.” Conde refers to the much lauded “Bilbao Effect”, named for the economic boom which followed the opening of the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain. The successful effects of art on economic development are well documented and have been repeated again and again, in towns like Marfa, Texas, Wynwood in Miami, Florida and Bentonville, Arkansas, to name but a few.
Artist and husband to Stacy Conde, Andres Conde, in front of the new gallery and residency space.
“The gallery will exist as it always has, though I’m very interested in exploring work by artists from the area. The addition to the business will be the teaching artists residency program. We’ll invite artists across multiple disciplines, including writers, photographers, film makers and visual artists in general, from all over the world to participate. The program will last from 2-6 weeks; in exchange for residency and studio space the artists will commit to teaching at least one class per week for free to the community at large. We’ll also host paid intensive workshops, and a free lecture series. The talks will have a broad focus, most will be on art, but I want to target social media and how to thrive in an online marketplace as it relates to small business.”
Renovation of the first floor gallery in process.
Conde believes a massive decentralizing shift is coming. “Understandably people don’t want to be in big cities right now. Fresh air, Mother Nature and gardening are making a big comeback. The working remotely trend will continue; at first it was a necessity, but employers will come to see the cost benefits. This will allow workers to live almost anywhere. Why wouldn’t they want to move to a place where they can realize the American Dream? I’m very excited about the reinvention and revitalization of the small town.”
“I don’t expect to establish a viable art market here in the foreseeable future, that’s not what this is about. It’s about quality of life, growing our business globally online and through the fairs – whenever they return, and the ability to realize dreams. …and not just our dreams. How many children in rural communities and underserved populations in the Deep South have been exposed to fine art? A teaching artist residency program will afford often overlooked communities exposure to art and career paths within the arts they may have otherwise never known existed.”
Conde acknowledges the stigma associated with Mississippi and the Deep South in general, “Smarter people than me have addressed the situation and continue to address it. I create beauty, and support other creators of beauty, that is my focus. It is my intention to build something wonderful here and provide equitable access to all. I have no time for hate and the ugliness it engenders. We are moving forward, creating something new and with any luck we’ll help bring about a renaissance for Natchez, giving people a better example of all the South can be, and in some ways, what it already is. There are really interesting things happening here, I’m not the only one who recognizes the opportunity to effect great change.”
Film Natchez is one such group recognizing the potential of Natchez. Their mission is to promote the film economy in Natchez through outreach, education, and support. Tate Taylor, a native of Mississippi and director of “The Help”, directed and shot “Get on Up”, “Ma”, and “Breaking News in Yuba County” in Natchez. “Our Crews and actors keep falling in love with Natchez,” said Taylor. “It’s obvious why.”
L: Dub Rogers, proprietor of Steampunk Coffee Roasters and Papi y Papi.
R: The annual Great Natchez Balloon Race
Bowie's outside movie and game night.
Locals Mr. JD Montgomery and Mr. Dandy.
The Coronavirus global pandemic, has been disastrous to lives and economies, the full extent of destruction is yet unknown, especially as the threat of a second wave looms in the distance and governments scramble to figure the way forward. Still, Conde focuses on light in the darkness. “The positive take away from the quarantine has been the great pause, or reset, it has created. We’ve been forced off the never-ending hamster wheel and to recognize the fragility of life. We must consider the legacy we leave behind, for ourselves, our family and our community. We must adapt and survive in our lives and in our businesses to the extent possible. I have such faith in humanity, let’s build a world we can be proud to leave behind.”
Conde expects to open doors at her new location mid-June, meanwhile you can find the gallery, Conde Contemporary, online at condecontemporary.com.
I can see through you | Andres Conde
- The best news is, ALL our artists are coming with us, in terms of representation. We're excited about this move and can not wait to be up and running. In the coming months, we'll be putting together small travel group visits to the gallery for private showings and exhibitions. Click here if you'd like to to be included. Meanwhile, have a look at the Visit Natchez website, we can't wait for you to see the new space!
