Curiosity
drew me to inviting Ann Berchtold for an interview. For three years I have
attended the San Diego Contemporary Art Fair, held each September, showcasing
contemporary art galleries, art dealers, furniture designers, art labs, and
solo artists from around the U.S. and other countries. Having attended several
other art fairs and art related trade shows over the years, I have been
impressed with San Diego Art Fairs’ unique point of view, lively and engaging
weekend long series of events and its celebratory approach to presenting visual
art. Ann Berchtold is a savvy businesswoman who sees the importance of creating
an ‘art experience’ as a way of capturing the publics’ attention. In 2011, the
fair had a record 8,000 visitors, and went from 27 gallery booths in 2009, to
the 61 expected in September, 2012 at the Activity Center at Balboa Park.
The title
of this year’s fair, “New Art City”, comments on Berchtold’s belief in and enthusiasm
for the city of San Diego as an important contemporary art destination. The
seeds for San Diego’s first art fair were sown in Miami where Ann first
experienced a contemporary art fair. Having been a frequent visitor to Miami
during her growing up years, she said she was “blown away and turned on” by
what Art Miami did for that city, its growth as a travel destination and art
town. She commented “It was a game changer for Miami and if Miami can do, so
can San Diego.” Ann came home after Miami and enlisted the support and help of
her friend Julie Schraeger, and together they began their research into art
fairs, learning ways they could move forward with their vision. During 2007 and
2008, they visited many art fairs around the U.S. learning from the directors
of those fairs, while simultaneously doing outreach to the San Diego art
community leadership, meeting with civic advisory groups and were able to bring
partners and sponsors on board to launch the first San Diego Contemporary Art
Fair in September, 2009. Today, the fair has United Bank of Switzerland as
their largest sponsor and partner – the same bank that supports Art Basel,
considered to be the largest and finest contemporary art fair in the world.
Ann
Berchtold is not an artist and what brought her to San Diego was college. She attended San Diego State University, majoring
in Business and Marketing. While in school, Ann worked at Rancho Valencia
Resort in Rancho Santa Fe for several years and when she graduated, her boss
offered her the job as Catering Director. From there, she moved to San
Francisco to the Ritz Carlton where she worked as Catering Director and handled
many large special events. Through these jobs, Berchtold honed her skills in
logistics, project management and the organization of large complex events.
When asked how she developed a passion for the arts, Ann attributes it to her
family. Raised in Michigan, Berchtold is
one of four children with three brothers, all of whom, including her parents,
are in the arts. She minored in fine art in college and along the way unleashed
an entrepreneurial spirit as she brings people, art, and music together.
Ann began
her art connection in the San Diego community as director of the L Street
Gallery, in the Omni Hotel while developing a website featuring local artists
and events. In 2007, she teamed up with Patricia Frischer, to launch the San
Diego Art Prize exhibition at the gallery. They were able to obtain a grant for
this well received exhibition and the San Diego Art Prize continues as one of
the featured events of the San Diego Art Fair.
Over the
four years of its existence, the fair has developed a list of thousands of art
collectors, and has attracted more and better galleries. This year’s New Art
City’s venue is in Balboa Park so that there is a collaboration with the
museums and attractions of the park and promises to engage an ever growing
audience of support and participation. The fair has moved from the Grand Del
Mar to the San Diego Hilton and now hopes it has found a home in Balboa Park. Berchtold is looking towards 2015 which is the centennial celebration of the
park and wants the San Diego Art Fair to be a leading contributor to the
events.
Ann
Berchtold hopes to build a new kind of art fair – changing it up from a
predictable grid-like system of exhibitor booths to
showcasing all of what San Diego has to offer uniting artists, musicians, art
collectors, sponsors, and partners, together with galleries from around the
U.S. and the world. Armed with unbridled optimism, enthusiasm and the creative
passion of an entrepreneur, it looks like she will continue to succeed.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
For more
information about the New Art City Art Fair at Balboa Park taking place
September 6 – 9th, please visit www.artsandiego2012.com
Cathy Breslaw is a southern California visual artist,
writer and lecturer who has had over 25 solo exhibitions, and 50 group
exhibitions across the country at museums, art centers, college and university
galleries and commercial galleries. Her work can be found in many private and
corporate collections.
Her work and writing can be seen at:
cathybreslaw@roadrunner.com
Michael Kenna’s New and Classic Images exhibition at
Joseph Bellows Gallery in La Jolla comprise a selection of
black and white ethereal and contemplative photographs. These fifty
images span twenty years and thirteen countries. Kenna has been photographing
for forty years and still relies on Kodak film in spite of the growing digital
marketplace. He makes his own sepia toned silver gelatin prints in a
traditional darkroom, creating precisely 7 ¾” square images which are dry mounted
on 16” x 20” museum board. He doesn’t deviate from his methods and there seems
to be no reason he should. His remarkably atmospheric and surreal architectural
and landscape scenes are uninhabited but hint at human intervention. 
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