These artists aren't starving

Gilda Snowden

At 53, Gilda Snowden enjoys a reputation as a well-respected Detroit painter. Her larger wall-relief pieces command prices as high as $30,000. But she makes her living as a full-time art professor at the College for Creative Studies.

Artists ought to have another way to make money, she said. She considers herself lucky to have a teaching job related to her passion, plus she enjoys helping young artists develop their skills.

Snowden encourages artists to network. A tremendous asset in her own success, she said, is her membership to the Michigan chapter of the National Conference of Artists, a group that promotes African-American talent. Through the group, she has landed a spot in books on African-American artists and participated in shows that toured Africa.

MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube accounts are other good networking tools.

“You can’t do it alone,” she said. “Every one of us is alone in the studio, but when I open that door, I’m looking for who I can help and who can help me.”

Snowden urges her students to show their work as much and as widely as possible. She’s pleased to see young artists opening galleries to promote their work. The Cave Gallery in the Russell Industrial Center in Detroit is a great example.

Goals are another must-do. What do you want to achieve now, five years from now, 10 years from now, 15 years from now and 20 years from now? How will you get there?

Most of Snowden’s work is abstract paintings in acrylic, oil and encaustic on canvas. She also paints on wood, layers with flat found objects such as newspaper articles and crossword puzzles, and creates assemblage sculpture and wall hangings. Though abstract, her work is mostly inspired by nature. Smaller encaustic pieces feature flowers. Larger paintings — as big as 72 inches-by-68 inches — are colorful and celebratory, many reminiscent of fireworks. As her reputation has grown, so has the value of her artwork. Her paintings range from $500 to $25,000.

Snowden works out of her large studio in the Alternative Worksite, at 2000 Brooklyn St. in Detroit’s Corktown. It’s a former brush factory, turned home to artist studios.

While many artists live in their studios, Snowden lives with her actor-director husband William Boswell and their 16-year-old daughter, Katherine, in a home near Lafayette Park in Detroit.

Detroit is an excellent location for artists, she said, because rent is affordable. “Here I can have a house and a studio for an amount that wouldn’t get me one of those in New York City,” she said.

Many former manufacturing plants and other commercial buildings have been converted into studios where artists both live and work. In addition to her building, these include the Russell Industrial Center, 1600 Clay St.; the Pioneer Building, 2679 E. Grand Blvd.; 4731 at 4731 Grand River Ave.; and 555 Gallery at 4884 Grand River Ave. Working and/or living in these spaces gives artists more networking opportunities, Snowden said.

Snowden’s work is sold at several commercial galleries, which collect a 50 percent commission. They include the Sherry Washington Gallery, Detroit; the National Conference of Artists Gallery, Detroit; Crump Fine Art, Cleveland; and Caesar Jackson Gallery, Washington, D.C. She has shown her work in many other galleries and museums in Michigan, as well as in New York, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Mexico, Canada and West Africa.

To be represented in commercial galleries, artists should develop a strong body of work, document it with photos, and write a strong résumé and clear artist’s statement, Snowden said. A Web site makes it easy to share your work with gallery directors. Also try to get into as many juried exhibitions as possible. Then research other galleries that show similar work and visit them with your portfolio.

Snowden also works with independent art consultants and has work in many private and corporate collections. The Detroit Institute of Arts owns six of her pieces. Other clients include Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the Detroit Public Schools, and Neiman Marcus stores in Troy; Las Vegas; Dallas; and Scottsdale, Ariz.

Art consultants aren’t as visible as galleries, Snowden said, so the best way to find them is by word of mouth. Talk to your artist friends. If you see a nice art collection in an office, ask for the art consultant’s name. Art in America magazine publishes an annual guide to galleries, museums, artists, and art consultants. This year’s guide is now available in bookstores.

Snowden’s reputation has earned her mention in 11 books including Treasures of the DIA: Detroit Institute of Arts and many collections about African-American art.

She has received four grants from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, and a grant from Arts Midwest in Minneapolis. Award money ranged from $4,000 to $10,000.

Today, fewer government funds are available for artist grants, Snowden said, and she suggests applying for corporate and foundation grants. She mentions the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Inc., and the Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts. These are very competitive, but winning strengthens an artist’s reputation, which leads to gallery representation and sales.

Snowden earned a bachelor of fine arts, a master of arts, and a master of fine arts, all in painting, from Wayne State University. She’s been teaching at the College for Creative Studies since 1985. Right now, she has three classes and serves as interim chair of the fine arts department.