Tucked away underneath a fading awning in Greenpoint, Brooklyn is a fantastic place- a unique and terribly exciting non-profit artist and exhibition space, Cleopatra’s. Taking the name from the awning out front (from the former deli), Cleopatra’s was created by four women to approach the art world with a different take on presenting artists and their work. They opened up Cleopatra’s to provide a place for artists to come and work- released from the pressure of most larger galleries or museums. All four of the women came from curatorial backgrounds however at the time Bridget Finn was with Anton Kern (now with Independant Curators International), Kate McNamara was with P.S.1 as a curatorial assistant (now the Director and Chief Curator for the Boston University Art Gallery), Erin Somerville was with Andrew Kreps (now Director at Kimmerich), and Bridget Donahue was the director at D’Amelio Terras (now Director at Gavin Brown Enterprise). Foconow’s Christmas Rene Ivory-Thomas recently had the pleasure of speaking with them about their collaboration, how Cleopatra’s formed, what happened along the way, and how the the idea that showing and making art unconventionally has changed their lives.
Christmas Rene Ivory-Thomas: Would you mind giving a brief look into how Cleopatra’s came together?
Cleopatra’s: In the Spring of 2008, Bridget Finn spotted a quaint storefront up for rent in the great neighborhood of Greenpoint, Brooklyn. She gave Bridget Donahue a call to say she’d found a place to make a project. Bridget Finn and Erin Somerville had been in conversation about starting a “space”, so Finn called Erin to ask her to become involved that same day. Bridget Donahue had a similar conversation with Kate McNamara, and the foursome founded Cleopatra’s
CRIT: How did the idea for a not-for-profit art space and studio come to you?
C: We were all looking to collaborate with our friends and peers outside of Chelsea; many of them are artists, and we wanted to engage them in a new way, document and archive our experience in the art world and promote the kind of programming that we wanted to attend.
CRIT: How did you become interested in the curatorial aspect of the art world in the first place?
C: It came about naturally and was never really identified as being a desire to curate. We enjoy learning from working with artists, writers, and musicians-there is no better way to do that than to present their work.
CRIT: What inspires you to form a show? When and how does an idea for a show start to form itself?
C: Often simply in one conversation we identify a shared interest with a practitioner, our similar concerns spark the collaboration. Studio visits come next and are important. We are inspired by the energy, dedication, and belief artists have towards their project. Seeing as though most of our shows are one to two people, those ideas start in the studio, are carried out in Cleopatra’s and hopefully continue on thereafter.
CRIT: What kind of challenges have you faced putting shows together, getting shows up or within the art community since beginning Cleopatra’s, are there some that you didn’t even expect you’d face?
C: The main challenge is finding time to work on an in-depth level with all of the artists you are interested in. It is a challenge trying to engage an audience with a new approach to exhibiting. Our space is small and our budgets are limited so we cannot produce or fabricate much more beyond the artists’ and our means. There are many venues prepared to fund artist projects, but often those venues are not really invested in the exhibition beyond a financial interest. That said, it can be difficult to get an artist to commit to working with us if we cannot accommodate a budget.
Another challenge we face is staying focused and maintaining our own interests when there are, from time to time, a lot of people who want to work with us. It’s hard to say no to friends, especially when work and our social lives are so interconnected.
CRIT: Have you found it to be a different experience with a not-for-profit than with the other experiences you have had with curatorial work?
C: Certainly! There is no bottom line to watch and there is much more freedom to take risks. Our project feels more celebratory in its participation.
CRIT: Can you talk a little about how Cleopatra’s went international?
C: One of our partner’s, Erin Somerville, had a great opportunity to work at a Berlin-based gallery. In the same way the New York space came to be, she happened upon an inexpensive, available storefront in an established gallery neighborhood. It was history repeating itself, too good an opportunity to pass up.
CRIT: How has Cleopatra’s changed your life or the way you experience art?
C: Cleopatra’s has formed a great community. Going on four years, our project communicates to our audience that we are truly interested in a wider, on-going conversation about art and ideas. Our project supplements a rich experience through our day jobs and our day jobs inform new perspectives on Cleopatra’s – both always in flux.
CRIT: Is there a tool that you utilize as a curator and consider essential of the operation of Cleopatra’s?
C: Open dialogues, encouragement of experimentation and risk taking – we really turn the space over to artists and use our agency to support and engage with their ideas.
CRIT: Cleopatra’s has persisted through some staff changes and other challenges but continued to grow as a community focal point and a place where true inspiration and experimentation has thrived. How do you not only feel about the environment created within the establishment but also, how have you kept that momentum going?
C: We are genuinely lucky to have such committed partners that believe that there is something valuable in sharing our collective experience, enthusiasm and professionalism with artists and cultural producers we admire. New York is a fast-paced city and to get the opportunity to slow down and further appreciate the great minds around us is a gift not only to ourselves but, hopefully, the neighborhood. Those simple pleasures motivate the entire project – not to mention our 10-yr lease!
CRIT: Can you share with us any exciting upcoming events or artists you’ll be working with?
C: We have a new Cleopatra partner, Colleen Grennan, with whom we’re excited to hash out new ideas and create projects fueled by new contributions and ideas.
Thank you Cleopatra’s and we at Foconow must insist that everyone head over to Greenpoint to check it out, possibly before May 27th to catch their current show of the drawings of Lezsek Knaflewski!
