interview with an art collector: jody alexander

​This week’s blog post features art advocate, educator, and, when time allows, artist Jody Alexander. Jody moved back to Milwaukee after living in San Francisco where she studied art history. She worked at the Milwaukee Art Museum and continues to serve on the board of the African American Art Alliance for nearly 20 years. The African American Art Alliance is one of nine support groups at the Milwaukee Art Museum that focus on specific areas of interest within the collection.  The AAAA helped secure Kehinde Wiley’s St. Dionysus for the permanent collection. Jody Alexander also taught life skills to students in the Pathways to College program. 

Jody Alexander at a Gallery NO:105 artists reception.
Photo courtesy of Jody Alexander. All rights reserved.

​In 2010, Jody Alexander founded the organization Blk-Art*History&Culture which teaches children black history by using the art of iconic African American artists. She creates Information Stations at churches, schools, libraries, and community centers with works from her extensive collection of art, books, black memorabilia, and music. Alexander started the pop-up Gallery NO:105 in 2015 and since 2016, she has headed the MARN Mentor program for the Milwaukee Artist Resource Network (MARN). This year’s exhibition will be up through August 28th. She also founded the Sisters of Creativity, a group which “seeks to recognize African-American women who have long been marginalized from the mainstream art world.” Their exhibition A Community of Voices will be on view at the Museum of Wisconsin Art through September 6th, 2020.  As Jody said during our interview, “Everything I do is around art.”
 
What do you collect and why?
Much of the work I collect is by Wisconsin and regional artists. If it speaks to me, I add it to the collection.  I trust my instinct.

​Margaret Burroughs, Faces A’ La Picasso, a preliminary drawing for the print series.
​Photo courtesy of Jody Alexander. All rights reserved.

Rosemary Ollison, Untitled, ink drawing
Photo courtesy of the artist, Portrait Society Gallery, and Jody Alexander. All rights reserved.

One special piece is a carved Shona sculpture from Zimbabwe.  At the time I couldn’t afford it. I spoke with the owner of the Mhiripiri Gallery in Minnesota who let me take it home after making a deposit.  He could see how much I loved it and trusted me to pay for it. It took me a year to pay it off. It became the logo for my organization Blk-Art*History&Culture. 

Shona sculpture in the collection of Jody Alexander. Photo courtesy of Jody Alexander.

I have since purchased more work from him.  Some of the work was in the 2019 Sneak Peek Part II:  A Look at Private Collections exhibition at the UWM Union Art Gallery.  

Installation view of Sneak Peek Part II:  A Look at Private Collections exhibition at the  UWM Union Art Gallery. 

I also collect Wisconsin artists that I work with. My gallery, Gallery NO:105, organizes pop-up exhibitions, artist markets, and other events featuring artwork by local artists available for purchase. I met Ebony Tidwell at the Black Arts Festival and purchased a painting.  I invited her to be in the MARN Mentors program because I could see her potential and loved her work. Ebony enjoys developing her skills with her mentor Della Wells.  Rosie Petry is another artist from the program whose potential I saw early on.  I am proud of her achieving the Artist in Residence at the Pfister Hotel.

Ebony Tidwell, Untitled, acrylic on canvas. 
Image courtesy of the artist and Jody Alexander. All rights reserved.

​When and how did you get started?
I bought my first piece of African art, a wood sculpture of a fertility doll at a festival when I was 19.  I didn’t know what I was buying, but it spoke to me.  I later learned I had fertility issues.

This wood sculpture of an African fertility doll is the first piece Alexander purchased.
Image courtesy of Jody Alexander. All rights reserved.

Art always finds me and my collection is always evolving.  I just bought a piece by Chrystal Gillon.  I scooched another piece over to make room for it.  Somehow it all falls into place

Miss America Lula Mae Toussant, mixed media assemblage’ by Chrystal Gillon.
Image courtesy of the artist and Jody Alexander. All rights reserved.

How do you safely display and/or store your collection?
I am reluctant to loan things out because there is always a chance for damage.  There are some works that I won’t loan because I love them too much.  Over the years, some pieces have been featured in a magazine article in Black Women 50+ and on Milwaukee PBS’s program Black Nouveau.
 
I keep wood sculpture out of the light.  No direct sunlight on any piece. When I select pieces for my public Information Stations, I wrap everything carefully to keep it safe during transport. 
I have a guest room where items can be stored safely.  I practice safety due to the investment and the fact that it is a blessing to be able to collect. I never, ever buy a piece of art thinking about the resale value.  I collect for my own pleasure. I have certain pieces that I never move – they stay in a permanent location in my home and I work in new acquisitions around them.
 
 
What has been most challenging for you in developing your collection?
I don’t have a strategy – each item is a piece of a puzzle that becomes more complete with time.  I live in a space that is about 750 square feet and don’t want it to look cluttered. Visitors have told me my apartment looks “curated”. Once a year I have an open house for my
Blk-Art*History&Culture collection. When I have these events, I stagger the number of visitors to avoid overcrowding.
 
Do you have advice for new collectors?
Stop worrying that collecting art is only for the rich. I am not rich, but I have rich relationships and get great satisfaction going to lectures and exhibitions. A good way to start is by going to the student shows at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design or Mount Mary or festivals such as Art Fair on the Square or the Black Arts Fest MKE or local galleries where art is affordable.  Go to artist studios.  I got this piece from Corey McVey of Milwaukee Potters Guild located in the Marshall Building. 

Ceramic Platter by Corey McVey.
Image courtesy of the artist and Jody Alexander. All rights reserved.

​The last 20 years have been a wonderful journey. Milwaukee has become a fabulous art hub.  I am thrilled to be a part of the Milwaukee art scene. And I love maintaining friendships with the artists I meet.
~Jody Alexander, July 2020

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