Meet JAMM Gallery

We spoke with JAMM Gallery’s co-founder, Amy Frost, ahead of their next season of fairs, to find out a bit about the gallery’s history and to see what the future holds for the JAMM duo …

Tell us about JAMM gallery?

JAMM gallery was founded by Jemma Hickman and myself to showcase a selection of the very best contemporary artists who not only work in the fine art field, but have tools in design illustration and craft.

We both have a long history in the art world. Jemma is the founding director of bo.lee gallery which launched in Bath in 2009 and is now based in South East London. bo.lee started showing at the London Affordable Art Fairs, and now exhibits at high end fairs in Hong Kong, NYC and Miami.

I’m from a family of artists. My grandfather, Sir Terry Frost, was a leading Modern British artist from the St Ives Group. After working as a Director and Art Consultant for 15 years I have built up my own private collection.

After working together on a number of projects we felt like Jemma’s eye for the beautiful and macabre and my eye for the quirky colourful pop art would make a good mix. Our joint aim is to bring a selection of well-made, intriguing and affordable art to our audience.

As a newly founded gallery our first show was the Affordable Art Fair in 2014, and that was certainly a pivotal moment for us. At the time we had just starting working with a London based artist called Meredith Owen who had made a large handmade globe on which she had delicately drawn a Victorian sea battle. It had taken her 8 months and was so beautiful. It was so different from anything at the fair and on the last day Jemma sold it to a lovely man for the top price at the Affordable Art Fair of £5,000. It was so good to see that someone understood the time and artistry that went into it…since then we haven’t stopped!

Describe the kind of work we would typically find on your stand?

JAMM gallery shows interesting, intriguing work. We like artists to offer something a bit different such as Roger Taylor’s light sculptures. We exhibited his wings of desire (wing light sculptures) in the entrance of the foyer of the Affordable Art Fair Hampstead in June which really stood out. At the Affordable Art Fair Battersea last October, we had a traveling art gallery by Amy Douglas in a converted horse box, showing her reworked Staffordshire’s.

We like to juxtapose different mediums and interesting quirky works of art that draw people in. It is important to us that art creates discussion, and we like to have fun with our stand installation. When it works, we like to say we are JAMMIN’!

How does a typical day working at an art fair differ from day-to-day life in the gallery?

A lot of thought and preparation goes into the art fairs JAMM do. As both Jemma and I also run other businesses, JAMM works quite organically alongside our other roles. We meet regularly to visit artist studios, discuss our stand plan and run the business from my house in Margate and Jemma’s home/gallery in London.

Once the planning is done, and we are ready for the fair, that is where the hard work really starts. We love the energy that comes from exhibiting at the Affordable Art Fair, and like to keep our artists informed throughout the fair about how is is going, what is selling and the reactions we are getting to their work. We understand how hard it can be for an artist to hand over their work and wait, so we like to involve them in the whole process.

What advice would you give to aspiring art collectors to make sure they get the most out of an art fair?

It can be useful to take a look at the exhibitors online beforehand and pinpoint the ones you want to visit. Sometimes you can be overwhelmed by looking at so many galleries with different work that it can be hard to pinpoint what it is that really grabs you. The best way is to grab a drink, and go with the flow. This is when something might just jump out and surprise you, and you might just end up going home with something under your arm!

If you can go in the morning, it’s a little quieter and you can look at everything without the hustle and bustle, but after 6pm there are more people and the buzz is quite exciting. Artworks are always changing on the stand so it’s good to come back on the last day if you can. Oh, and if you really like something, don’t ponder too much, as the good stuff doesn’t stick around for long!

Do you collect art yourself, if so, what’s your most recent addition to your collection?

We both collect art, and like to take something away from each fair we visit. We think that it is really important to buy art and support artists and the art world. It’s why we do what we do!

I recently moved to Margate which has a thriving art scene. My most recent addition is a great local artist called Kate Harrison who makes miniature globes with little people in them. Really fun, unique and affordable.

My most prized possession is a work from Kate McDowell which I purchased from our JAMM Christmas pop up last December. This series also featured in Banksy’s Dismaland show in Weston Supermare. It’s a white porcelain mouse with an ear attached to it. It makes you feel uncomfortable but it is also so delicate and beautiful. It raises questions about animal testing and people keeping quiet on the matter. It’s a really interesting piece.

Art can transform, enhance and bring together an interior. Why do you think we should hang art in our homes?

Art can completely change a space. It adds another dimension to a room. Each artwork tells a story, be it abstract or figurative. There is always a narrative. A particular artwork might hold a memory of picking it up in a market in Istanbul, or the Affordable Art Fair in NYC.

It makes art collecting such a personal experience, and can be the finishing touch to your home, to chat about over a dinner party. Not everyone likes the same piece of art, that is what makes the whole art buying process even more interesting.

What has been your most memorable moment taking part in an Affordable Art Fair?

One of the most memorable moments for us was at last year’s Affordable Art Fair Battersea in October. We were showing a new artist Ade Adesina who we had recently spotted at the RA Summer show. We had a few logistical problems getting the works from Aberdeen as they are quite large, but we got them there in nick of time and by the end of the fair we had sold 11 of his works.

It was a gamble as they were large pieces taking up the whole of the stand, but it worked! When we told him how many had sold, he was delighted. He is such a talented and humble artist, it was so great to see people understanding and buying his work.

Which artists are your ‘ones-to-watch’ at Affordable Art Fairs?

Ade Adesina is working on a new body of linocuts for the Affordable Art Fair Battersea. We are really excited to see them. He has such a talent for working with lino printing, and his ideas behind the work are fascinating, merging his roots as a Nigerian artist, with his views on the world and man’s impact on it.

Roger Taylor stole the show at the Affordable Art Fair Hampstead, and totally wowed the crowds with his Angel Wings. He has got something bigger and better for Battersea, so watch this space…

What do you think the future holds for the art market in our rapidly expanding digital world?

We are an online gallery, and do small pop up shows and art fairs. As we don’t have a permanent retail place to run, we have the time to think outside the box, and have already worked with the Affordable Art Fair to introduce artists to the fair using social media. The online art market is a huge deal, and so much can now be achieved online without the ties of a permanent location. Not having these financial ties, makes it easier for smaller galleries to grow and create an identity online – it is an exciting time for the art world, and it is important for galleries to adapt for this new market.

We plan to continue doing what we love, and look forward to seeking out new talent to show at art fairs and exhibitions. We are also looking at exhibiting at the international Affordable Art Fairs in 2017, where we can introduce our artists to a global platform.