Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacy Conde.
Stacy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
There was never a time I didn’t create for the pure pleasure of doing so. I’ve always written, taken photographs, drawn, imagined… We moved around a lot when I was young; more of my youth was spent with books, music and film than with friends. It was natural that I found my way into the arts.
I took my first real job working as assistant to the legendary British design icon, Barbara Hulanicki when I was 17.
She was wonderful. Through her I learned the rudimentary of set, interior, fashion and costume design, period style makeup, an array of artistic techniques, finishes and applications, sourcing vendors, manufacturing, production, and basically how to create anything on a shoestring budget. It was a very exciting time. Project to project. Never knowing what I’d have to do or learn next.
We continued working together in this way until I was 27 years old. In fact, we still work together, on more limited terms.
In 1994 I met Andres Conde, an aspiring painter, at Lollapalooza in Bayfront Park. We fell in love at first sight and were married within nine months. Andres and I opened our first art gallery in 1997, Goodman Conde Gallery in the Design District.
Critically the gallery was a success, financially, a disaster.
Already mother and father to three young children, Andres and I spent the next 16 years working corporate jobs to support our little family. Though we privately continued our artistic work, it became secondary to our duties as parents.
In 2013 we moved home to Miami from Chicago. We decided, with our children nearly grown, it was time to pursue our dreams and return to the arts.
Learning from our previous errors, we started small, with a studio space in Downtown Miami. Andres would paint and I’d finish working on the marketing of my book, “The Red Speck”. From there we expanded into the studio across the hall which I used as an office and small gallery showing Andres’ work.
Within a year and half, we outgrew the two spaces and rented a storefront on Calle Ocho in Little Havana. Andres convinced me to at least consider exhibiting other artists. The idea of another gallery absolutely terrified me. He loves to say I bend him to my will, but he made a contortionist of me on this one.
We started showing other artists and Conde Contemporary was born. Through the careful selection of artists and works, devotion to our core artists, betting on art fairs when we could barely pay rent, elevated and consistent treatment of our collectors, follow up, sales and customer service, within two years we were able to move to our current gallery space in Coral Gables on Miracle Mile.
Conde Contemporary, or COCO as the business is coming to be known, continues to grow and is poised for expansion to two other markets.
Conde Contemporary – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Conde Contemporary is an art gallery specializing in representational works. We represent living artists whose work is not only conceptually strong, but technically adept as well.
As a company we’ve created vibrant careers for our represented artists, who live on their art alone. I am very gratified by that.
We value the interconnected collector, artist, gallery relationship. Each entity relies on the other. We believe in protecting the interests of each as much as possible, for as one flourishes the others follow.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I don’t have a proudest moment. I feel good about many little moments, but moments are fleeting by nature. When they’re gone, they’re gone. I try not to live in the past and am always focused on achieving my next goal.
Contact Info:
- Address: 204 Miracle Mile
- Website: www.condecontemporary.com
- Phone: 2399610452
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/condecontemporary/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/condecontemporary/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CondeContempo
Image Credit:
Richard Rawson
Natasha Kertes
Andres Conde
Darian Rogriguez Mederos
Enrique Toledo
Luis Enrique Toledo del Rio
Luis Rodriguez Noa
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