Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellen Hackl Fagan.
Hi Ellen, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m the sixth of eight siblings, born in New Jersey. We moved to Indianapolis in the late 60s. I’ve always been an artist, and grew up in a family of artistic people, throughout the generations. My mother is an artist and was my first real art teacher.
Growing up in a large family back in the 60s and 70s afforded me a lot of time to create for my own interests. My earliest memories of making things with my own hands began around the age of 4, when I was pretending that I was discovering writing and drawing marks on the first primitive forms of paper, namely sycamore tree bark. I also had an imaginary friend, so it’s safe to say I was closely connected to my imagination for inventing fun things to do.
This experience of being a part of boisterous conversations, many voices, could be at the core of why I became a curator and gallerist. For me, it’s not as important to me to tell you about my own work as it is to ask you about yours. A range of approaches to a conversation makes for a broader understanding of the topic.
I went to art school in northern Indiana in the late 70s, graduated in 1982 with a focus in painting and photography.
My experiences with Ohio began with road trips to Kings Island Amusement Park with my high school friends as soon as we were able to drive ourselves.
As I grew older and became a seasoned artist and independent curator, I have found myself driving across the country often, especially during Covid, from the east coast to Indianapolis, to be a supportive family member as our parents age. In these drives, I began making stops at the key Ancient Moundbuilders’ sites in the region around Columbus and Dayton. These prehistoric sites, of the Hopewell, Adena, and Woodland cultures afford me the chance to learn more about early art-making and ritual practices. The quest for a deeper connection to the movements of the moon and the sun led to monumental earth-building practices that align with similar types of structures all over the world. These sites remind me of the importance of observation, community, and celebratory rituals.
When traveling by car from New York City to Indianapolis, I try to stop at important prehistoric sites to stretch out my legs and reset my mind. Other stops of interest along the way include sites along the Underground Railroad.
I work as both an artist and an independent curator and run a gallery, now all online, called ODETTA. I have been painting and putting together exhibitions, both in person and virtually, all of my adult life and work with artists in New York that grew up in Ohio. I often think that these artists are more inclined to take big risks with their conceptual work and installations of contemporary art due to their upbringing around areas with vast amounts of space, and a certain humble nature that allows them to accept a wider range of approaches to artwork.
Some of the best conceptual artists from the 20th and 21st centuries were Ohioans. Ann Hamilton immediately comes to mind.
I have found that creating a virtual gallery due to the pandemic has brought even more midwester artists into my community. I relate to their work ethic and their commitment to their art.
So, I would say that Ohioans have a lot to teach me, both from the earliest historical sites to present day contemporary art and culture.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not a smooth road. Being an artist means that you are always pushing to have your work seen, and to go for the opportunities that will validate your expertise. One never gives up. It’s a long road, and it is full of interesting people.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a painter who explores the aural communicative potential in color. This means that my work is more of a spiritual type of abstraction, minimalistic, and focused on saturated colors. My series, Seeking the Sound of Cobalt Blue, has been a focus for almost ten years now. I have painted my entire adult life, but have consistently been working on making sound visible and tangible in my paintings.
I specialize in putting artists’ works together in exhibitions that surprise and stimulate both viewers and the artists. who learn more about their work through my eyes.
My biggest success has been taking the plunge and opening ODETTA Gallery in 2014. Through ODETTA I have had the pleasure of working with over 200 artists, primarily New York City-based. But when the pandemic hit, I pivoted and moved the gallery entirely online, which has enabled me to work with a wider range of artists from all over the world, including Ohio.
ODETTA Gallery put me on the map as a New York City-based artist and artist-run gallery. My business sense is unusual for artists generally, but I find that it helps me find a clearer path to connecting artists, and even my own work, to collectors and opportunities.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success for me is a step-by-step process. Completing each project and production enables me to move to the next project with a bit more confidence. So, success is about taking risks, trying something I don’t know everything about yet, and learning more about the processes and people that revolve around that work of art or exhibition.
I also feel a great sense of pleasure completing sales of artists’ works. Paying artists is a happy moment after a lot of hard work.
Pricing:
- $250 – $30,000 is the price range for the works I make and the artists’ works that I show.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.odettagallery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/odettagallery/ | https://www.instagram.com/ehfaganstudio/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/odetta-gallery-3572908/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/odettagallery
- Other: https://linktr.ee/ODETTA
Image Credits
Charles Geiger
ODETTA
Rattle & Hummmmm
Ellen Hackl Fagan
Hyla Skopitz
