Online Gallery artUNPRIMED Raises Profile Of Budding East End Artists

Casey Dalene had one goal in mind when starting her online gallery artUNPRIMED: to create an outlet that connects art collectors with underrepresented artists from the East End.“As an artist, your goal is to have more time to make art,” she said. “So having to do your own promotion and sales is time consuming. I’m helping in that aspect, where I’m dealing with the buyers and the sales process so they can focus on making more paintings.”

Nine years ago, with a degree in textile and surface design from the Fashion Institute of Technology, Ms. Dalene moved to East Hampton from New York City. She joined the local art community by working at a textile company and later at various galleries, and used her expertise to become an art consultant.

Her heavy involvement within the community gave her an extensive network of local artists and art collectors who inspired her to start her own business about one year ago. She said she noticed a growing demand from collectors to have local artwork in their homes, but no galleries exclusively showcased work from local artists.

“I definitely saw an interest from collectors and I saw a need in the community,” Ms. Dalene said. “A lot of these artists don’t have gallery representation, so it’s helpful to them as well to have someone out there betting for them and selling their work and showing it, even just online.”

ArtUNPRIMED is currently showcasing original artwork from 11 artists including drawings, paintings, photography and textiles that people can purchase directly on the website.

The featured local artists include Scott Bluedorn, Bruce Lieberman, Dalton Portella, Christian Little, Jessica Dalene (Ms. Dalene’s sister-in-law), Ingrid Silva, Michele Dragonetti, Jane Martin, Alex Mankiewicz and Charles Ly. She said she chose artists she has great relationships with and whose art fits her style and aesthetic, and plans to soon add a few more artists to the site.

“At the end of the day, I’m just trying to give these amazing artists a voice and a place to be seen,” she said. “I see such value in their works, so I’m trying to get it out there.”

While scrolling through the website, visitors will come across quality art that ranges from Mr. Ly’s detailed drawings of women’s hair to Ms. Silva’s underwater photographs of nude bodies. The streamlined and minimalist layout makes it easy for interested buyers to navigate the website and learn more about each artist and the pieces they’re selling. The website also features a print shop where Ms. Dalene offers custom prints of select works.

To further promote the featured art pieces along with her business, Ms. Dalene opened a pop-up gallery in Sag Harbor this winter to give potential buyers the chance to get a better look than two-dimensional online photos of the works can provide.

During the gallery’s runtime from January 14 through March 19, three exhibitions are planned: “Water,” “Women” and “Terra.” The exhibitions will all feature the same artists, but showcase the diverse ranges of their work by having different themes.

The only textile artist currently featured by artUNPRIMED is Krista Steinberg, a Brooklyn-based weaver who also runs her own online business called Looming Jane. She sells her woven creations including scarves, pillows and wall hangings made from organic American-grown yarns and natural dyes.

“[Ms. Dalene] reached out to me because she saw some of my stuff on Instagram and really liked the direction I was going in,” Ms. Steinberg shared, adding that they have been keeping in touch through social media since they graduated from fashion school together 12 years ago.

Ms. Dalene said she wanted to bring in some smaller artisanal handmade works for the pop-up gallery and immediately thought of Ms. Steinberg.

“Her company Looming Jane is really incredible and what she’s doing with textiles is really awesome,” the founder said. “She’s very conscious of her materials. I think that’s one of my favorite things about what she’s doing.”

The artUNPRIMED pop-up gallery is open at 7 Main Street, Sag Harbor, through March 19. Gallery hours are Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. through 7 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and by appointment. The exhibition “Water” is on display through February 5 and the opening reception for “Women” will take place on February 11. Visit artunprimed.com or call 631-907-9782 for more information.