GenArt explained

Gen Art is an arts and entertainment organization that showcases emerging fashion designers, filmmakers, musicians and visual artists. It has produced over 100 events annually, which included fashion shows, film premieres and screenings, live music and art receptions and tours. Gen Art's offices are located in New York City and Los Angeles and since 2014, the company has been headed up by Keri Ingvarsson and a small team of private investors. Previous offices have included San Francisco, Miami and Chicago.[1]

On February 21, 2011, Gen Art announced it would return with the 16th Annual Gen Art Film Festival in New York City.[2] Gen Art has since then announced its "Fresh Faces in Fashion Show" during New York Fashion Week 2011, which will feature the designers Ann Yee, ace & jig, Sunghee Bang, Eighteenth, Jennifer Chun, William Okopo, Baron Wells, Collina Strada, Falconiere, Osborn, and Wool and the Gang.[3]

History

Gen Art began as a non-profit company, called Generational Arts Limited, by Ian Gerard, Stefan Gerard and Melissa Neumann in 1993. At the same time a for-profit production arm of Gen Art, Generational Art Productions was also launched. Ian was attending New York University Law School at the time. Ian knew that many emerging visual artists from his college experience (Vassar) and elsewhere had difficulty showcasing their talents in the art galleries of New York City. He also noticed that there were a lot of young people with disposable income, who wanted to obtain art but could not afford to buy from the SoHo art galleries. The idea was to bring together these two groups together so they could both benefit.

Gen Art was launched from Ian's law school dorm room at New York University, using just a fax machine and a laptop. Ian's brother Stefan, who worked in publishing, and Melissa Neumann, a 23-year-old analyst at Lehman Brothers, joined the organization. Early on an advisory board of artists, gallery owners and dealers was formed to help establish some credibility within the art community. Then a fundraiser showcasing four emerging artists was organised. This was a success, with 500 people attending and a write up in the New York Times styles section.

The company expanded into fashion in 1995, on the advice of a young accessories designer who had attended one of the art exhibitions. A one night fashion show for emerging fashion designers was held using excess gallery space. A year later Gen Art hired a young film professional, Paul Gachot, to create and direct its first film festival. Around this time Gen Art began to expand, opening an office in Los Angeles in the summer of 1995 and San Francisco in 1996.

Upon graduation in late 1994 Ian started work at a corporate law firm. Stefan became the day to day CEO of the Company. Stefan quit the company in 1997 and Ian left his law job to work full-time at Gen Art, becoming the CEO. In 1998 Adam Walden was brought in and made the company president.

In the beginning of 2002 when a group of venture capitalists offered to invest in Gen Art, the bulk of the business was moved from the non-profit to the for-profit entity which then took over all responsibilities for corporate sponsorship and production of Gen Art's programming. Gen Art was able to leverage new national partnerships with Heineken and Chrysler to take the company national and Gen Art launched new offices in Miami and Chicago, and centralized the West Coast office oversight in New York.

From 2002 - 2009, Gen Art produced over 100 events in fashion, film, music and art showcasing over 1,000 emerging talent.

In February 2011, Gen Art announced was acquired by publishing company Sandow Media.[4] Under this new umbrella, longtime Gen Art Senior Executives Elizabeth Shaffer and Jeffrey Abramson were named Co-Presidents.[5]

As of 2016, Gen Art is currently owned and operated by fashion executive Keri Ingvarsson and a team of private investors.

GenArt Film Festival

The GenArt Film Festival was founded in 1996 to showcase the work of emerging independent filmmakers. The festival's theme programming consists of just seven features and seven shorts and dons the tagline "7 Premieres. 7 Parties". Each night a feature and short is paired, with an after party following the screening.

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1996, First Year of Film Festival

References

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gen Art . 2016-05-02 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160422082744/http://www.genart.com/ . 2016-04-22 .
  2. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/gen-art-film-festival-return-159877 The Hollywood Reporter
  3. Web site: Gen Art Is Back: Designers Guaranteed To Blow Up (We've Got Exclusive Pics!) . 2011-09-06 . Refinery29.com.
  4. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/gen-art-film-festival-return-159877 The Hollywood Reporter
  5. Web site: How the Newly Revived Gen Art Plans to Take Better Care of Emerging Designers . 2011-03-14 . Fashionista.com.

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