'Change Agents: Women Collectors Shaping the Art World' at SAC

For centuries, the art world has been dominated by the works of male artists. That’s no secret. And while people know the Whitney Museum, an institution with plenty of artwork created by men, what they may forget is the fact that Gertrude Whitney, a female art enthusiast, was the founder of this institution. People love the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) but how many of them realize that three women — one of them being Abagail Rockefeller — were the founders of this museum?

The truth is, though they may not be as well represented on museum walls as their male counterparts, women have embedded themselves in the art world as not just artists, but as art enthusiasts and avid collectors.

As part of its 10th anniversary celebration, the Southampton Art Center is presenting “Change Agents: Women Collectors Shaping the Art World,” a show running July 22 to September 30. This exhibition highlights the artistic vision of 14 female collectors dedicated to artists who are critically acclaimed as well as the newly emerging artists of today.

“No one has really talked about the kind of women that do not just collect things and put them on their wall, but the type of women who use their passion to support great artists and their careers” said Simone Levinson, SAC founding co-chair who conceived of this exhibition.

Over the past decade, the SAC programming committee has continuously attempted to come up with ideas for shows and stories that have not been seen or told before. Levinson stated that at SAC, the goal is for all the programming to elevate, inspire and educate viewers.

With these criteria in mind, Levinson thought about the female artists that she herself has collected and appreciated over the years. Levinson discussed how in recent years, the art world has shifted its focus to giving female artists their due, in terms of their market share and the amount of money they make. Female artists are now being hung in museums and recognized by the public, which Levinson believes to be a great thing.

However, this realization also led Levinson to consider other women in the art industry who often go unrecognized: the collectors.

“It occurred to me that there had not been proper recognition given to the great pioneering female collectors,” Levinson said.

Around half of the collectors whose pieces are in this exhibition are personal friends of Levinson. When she first came up with the idea to create an exhibition of work held only by women collectors, she reached out to her friends and was met with enthusiasm and interest.

“There were about seven [women collectors] that I knew, and I asked them, ‘What do you think of this idea?’ I asked other people in the art world too, and everyone was like, ‘Oh my gosh I can’t believe no one has done this before,’” Levinson recalled. “The more I spoke about it, the more enthusiasm I received.”

Levinson proceeded to contact these women collectors and ask if they would be interested in participating in this show. To her delight, they all agreed.

However, Levinson said that she quickly realized this story was much bigger than just the women collectors that she knew. She emphasized that the importance of this story goes beyond any single one of these women, and that it would take a world class curator to do this story justice. But how to make that happen?

The answer came through praise and high recommendation for female museum director and curator, Kate Fowle, who was the director of MoMA PS1 in Queens and from 2013 to 2019, was the chief curator and artistic director of the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow. Fowle has been working in tandem with Folasade Ologundudu and Xiaoyu Weng to curate this exhibition.

“I think this group is kind of wonderful because they work together,” said Christina Strassfield, executive director of Southampton Art Center. “Having three people agree on something is not always easy. I am extremely impressed by the diversity of the work, and I think this group did a great job choosing works and collectors.”

Levinson added that this curating trio brought in seven other women from across the country that they knew, to expand the story of women collectors.

“The concept is exciting because these collectors reached out and really wanted to promote a variety of work, from Andy Warhols to artists you have might not heard of,” Strassfield said. “You can learn something new and see why each artist fits in the collection of that collector.”

Levinson and Strassfield expressed excitement about the diversity of work being displayed in “Change Agents.” They hope that viewers will leave the show with a greater appreciation for art, and for the role that women play in the art world.

“It’s always wonderful to ask collectors, ‘What was the first thing you collected? Why did you collect it? What interested you to collect something different? What did you not buy that you wish you did buy?’” said Strassfield.

The ability to further understand the type of cutting-edge thinking that goes into the decision to buy — or not to buy — art is something that the team at Southampton Art Center is excited to share with the public. This show is the first of its kind, said Levinson, who added that, to her knowledge, no one else has done an exhibition with only the art of women collectors.

“These women are rock-stars, and even though some of these women are married, this is their thing,” Levinson said. “My husband really empowers me and trusts my judgment and he looks to me to curate our art collection.”

These female art collectors are talented in their ability to find great art. Levinson commented that the primary motivation of one of the collectors featured in the show, Emily Fisher Landau, is to buy what she loves.

“You are not buying a stock or a bond and just thinking about the return on your investment,” Levinson said. “That is not the nature of these women.”

These women are collectors, she notes, because they are all passionate about art.

Southampton Arts Center hosts a panel discussion with five of the 14 female collectors in the show on Friday, July 28, at 7 p.m. Moderated by Sotheby’s Lisa Dennison, collectors Roya Khadjavi, Christine Mack, Lisa Perry, Holly Peterson and Mickalene Thomas will be on hand to answer questions and discuss their collections.

Levinson noted that the curators did not want to limit the story of female empowerment to the visual arts, and on Thursday, August 10, at 7 p.m., SAC will host a panel of four leading women Broadway producers, expanding the reach to those who bring stories to the stage. The panel will be moderated by Stephanie Lee, with Arielle Tepper, Wendy Federman and Fiona Rudin sharing stories, challenges and insights from their careers.

A “Rising Collectors” panel will be offered at SAC on August 31, at 7 p.m. and will present emerging art collectors. This panel will contribute to the efforts of Southampton Art Center to encourage women to empower themselves.

“We [women] tend to sublimate ourselves when it comes to buying jewelry or cars or art,” Levinson said. “I hope that this show inspires women to say, ‘You know what? I am going to go for it.’”

The Southampton Art Center is located at 25 Jobs Lane, Southampton. Admission is free. For more information about “Change Agents: Women Collectors shaping the Art World,” visit southamptonartscenter.org.