Living in Chattanooga encourages creative expression, which can be achieved in many different ways. For many people, that involves hanging a colorful painting or a photograph of a favorite person or place on their walls. Artwork can accent your decor, create a space unique to you and really change the atmosphere of a room. But for people who aren’t confident about what looks good where — or hanging next to what — deciding which artwork to put up can be daunting.
If you’re unsure of how to decorate your home with art, need help or have absolutely no idea where to start, art curators may have the answer.
As an art curator with over 20 years of experience working with fine art and antiques from all over the world, Elizabeth Ruffner can help you find your aesthetic and your creativity to spruce up your walls and build your art collection.
“My mantra is that your art does not have to match your couch,” says Ruffner, who is the owner of Ruffner Art Advisory. “It’s about working together to represent the person, along with the things they want to live with on their walls.”
Ruffner began her career as an archaeologist. Working with artifacts allowed her to examine pieces and determine their value.
“I was hired to basically catalog and value entire collections,” she explains. “Once I started doing that, I realized that Chattanooga doesn’t have someone who is an art advisor.
“My theme for each client is discovering their aesthetic, figuring out what resonates with them and then helping them refine and focus that again — making sure they’re not wasting money, making sure they understand what the market value is and that it’s something that should hold its value.”
After getting a rough idea of what the client may be interested in and establishing a budget, she will take her clients to art galleries or art fairs, where she can see what pieces stand out to them.
Ruffner describes herself as a guide and a personal art history teacher through the art world. She encourages clients to find what art they are going to want to live with long-term.
“It’s about what speaks to you, what you connect with,” she says. “I help them foster that, and then, once we decide and figure out what pieces speak to them, then we start acquiring based on their budget — whether it is from auction houses, whether it’s from a gallery or whether it’s directly from the artist.”
If you’re just starting out with curating your own collection, Ruffner says that liveauctioneers.com is a great place to start.
“It’s also great to start regionally, look at what’s available around town,” she says. “At the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, there are some great little contemporary art galleries that are popping up with emerging artists.”
Similar to Ruffner, Juliana Roslin is a local art curator who works with her clients to find art that will fit their “vibe.” With her background in commercial and hospitality design, as well as her experience working in art galleries, she’s able to carefully select artwork that matches each person’s aesthetic.
Originally from Palm Beach County, Florida, Roslin moved to Chattanooga to be closer to her clientele.
Her two companies, Ready2HangArt and Art Firm, allow people or corporations to create and uphold their own personal art collections. With Ready2Hang Art, people can select and buy artwork nationwide, while Art Firm specializes in art consulting and curation.
Roslin works with her clients’ interests and decides what artwork would work best in their home or business, based on the textures in their rooms, furniture, flooring, rugs and color schemes.
“Chattanooga is becoming such a hub for innovation and for small businesses, and you look at these enterprises, and they’re building all these cool facilities. They need to create a sense of living for their team,” she says. “We create a sense of home, sense of location, a sense of authenticity, of bringing in local artists from the city. We help tell a company’s story through obscure art pieces and creations.”
While Roslin does not work with many residential clients, she does have some advice for curating your own personal collection.
“Creating a mood board is probably the best route to go,” she explains. “People overthink art, but you don’t need to be an art expert or historian to know what you want in your space. There’s room and space for everyone in this landscape.”