Meet the gallerist and activists who shapes New York’s art scene.
It’s a tough time to be a rebel. There’s not a lot we haven’t seen, and anything we might wish to see, or dream up, is less than a click away. What’s an iconoclast to do? Making something is a good start. Real things, not just content, can exist in the world, turning heads and changing minds. These 10 creatives—all in Chanel Fine Jewelry for this portfolio—might not have permanent solutions, but they are just getting going. What they’ve accomplished so far sets them apart and raises the bar for what’s next.
Gabrielle wears Première watch in steel coated in yellow gold with black leather and black-lacquered dial by CHANEL Watches, Coco Crush quilted motif ring in 18k yellow gold, and Coco Crush quilted motif bracelets in 18k yellow gold, 18k beige gold with diamonds, and 18k white gold with diamonds by CHANEL Fine Jewelry
GABRIELLE RICHARDSON
GALLERIST AND ACTIVIST
Instagram: @fridacashflow
To understand Gabrielle Richardson’s Ward gallery, one should refer back to Tumblr’s Art Hoe, the “online art gallery for queer people of color” which she co-founded in 2016. Richardson’s IRL presence, meanwhile, can be found everywhere, modeling in Glossier campaigns and on the pages of Vogue. “I’m juggling modeling and curation consistently,” she says from her Crown Heights apartment, preparing for a casting for a Black hair brand.
Richardson is currently developing a project for ICP about diasporas featuring artists from her New York community, with whom she established strong ties during the pandemic when she created a mutual aid program for those struggling around her. When the world reopened, Richardson and her partner, Saam Niami, met a developer who offered them a physical space on the Lower East Side to showcase their artists (he was using it for storage).
Since then, Richardson has found other homes for Ward—they’ve shown Miles Greenberg and Adam Rouhana—but it has evolved more into a “project” than a gallery. “Our future is to just constantly expand and really give back,” she says. Her dream exhibition? Carrie Mae Weems, whom Richardson met once, though it was unfortunately in the midst of an allergy attack that left the model crying in a corner: “She just came over, and was like, ‘Are you okay, baby?’ I was very moved,” admits Richardson. “That’s the kind of thing I want to give to other people when they come to the shows I make.”
Taken from 10 Magazine USA Issue 6 – CHANGE, CREATIVITY, FREEDOM – out March 18th! Order your copy here.
THE NEW MAKERS
Photographer CARLOS RUIZ
Talent TONI CORNELL, TIFFANY HOWELL, GABRIELLE RICHARDSON, DEVONN CHARLES FRANCIS, LAURA ZHENG, AVA PEARLMAN, ANNA PARK, ELIZABETH KOURY, ARMANDO AGUIRRE, and ELLEN HARROLD
Text JOHN ORTVED
Instagram: @jortved
