On the Record: Elizabeth Moss, opening a second art gallery in Maine, changes her perspective

Photo / Jim Neuger Elizabeth Moss in her gallery in Falmouth. She is getting ready to open a second location in Portland, on the city’s East End.

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By Renee Cordes

Elizabeth Moss is the founder and owner of Elizabeth Moss Galleries in Falmouth, which she opened in spring 2004. She talked to Mainebiz about her business as she prepares to open a gallery on Portland’s East End. It will be located at 100 Fore St., in a building occupied in part by Northeastern University’s Roux Institute.

Mainebiz: How did you come to be an art gallery owner in Maine?

Elizabeth Moss: In my early 20s, I visited Maine, from Washington, D.C., with my bestie from high school. In 1991, we went to Monhegan Island. I was swept away by the island’s magic and Maine’s legacy in art history. I was in graduate school in D.C. [at George Washington University] and here I was seeing all these places painted by famous artists and all these summer homes famous New York artists kept in Maine. It was a back door into the elite art scene of New York City.

MB: What are your customers buying these days?

EM: Generally, paintings that combine landscape with a modern edge, whether geometric, abstract or bright colors. Oil paintings by New Yorker Frances Hynes and Maine artists Richard Keen, Anne Ireland and Liz Hoag, my neighbor.

MB: How has the pandemic affected your business?

EM: Initially, I was scared like everyone, thinking, 'How do I replace in-person retail with a remote experience?' We already did a lot with social media and I had been experimenting with Google AdWords, so I dove into studying Google Ads, and that paid off. But the biggest silver lining from it was that I was forced to define each remote employee’s role and daily activities. My perspective changed as I pulled back from inside the day to day. It helped to look at the organizational model and see weak links.

MB: Is your business generally cyclical, or is it recession-proof?

EM: There is some cyclical aspect of it in that Maine swells in the summer with affluent visitors who have money to spend on luxury items like art. But I consider myself a year-round business. In fact, some of my most important clients are out of the state altogether. Online sales from Google Ads, as well as print ads in Decor Maine, Maine Home & Design and Down East magazines, have armed me against recession.

MB: As offices open up again, what are your expectations from corporate clients?

EM: I expect corporate clients will have a strong interest in health and wellness in the workplace. They will be more keen than ever to create workspaces that align with some of the advantages of remote work. Corporations will need to up their game so to speak, and original artworks go a long way in spaces that breathe with life and humanity.

MB: You’ve said that you’re a national rather than a regional art gallery. How so?

EM: Since I established the gallery in 2004, I have always sought to exhibit art that speaks to Maine’s role in American art. Maine has a storied role in America’s art history. Think Winslow Homer, Marsden Hartley, John Marin and all three Wyeths. My collectors span the U.S. and abroad.

MB: Why open a second gallery now, and how did you choose the location?

EM: I want to share Maine’s incredible talent with the rest of the state and particularly in Portland. Portland is in the midst of tremendous growth and maturity, both in corporate headquarters like WEX and Tilson, and with people from all over buying homes and high-end condos. It’s an exciting time, and I want to be part of it.

MB: What are your plans for the Portland gallery and how will it be different from Falmouth?

EM: The Portland gallery I envision as a perfect jewel box of a space. It’ll be smaller than Falmouth and I’ll offer works that are more curated, modern and edgy.