Meet Veronica Scharf Garcia | Artist & Art Collections Specialist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Veronica Scharf Garcia and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Veronica, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I’ve always had jobs related to art. I started as art handler and installer, then moved on to collections registrar, while initiating several curatorial projects at museums. I have also worked with many private collectors. Unfortunately, sometimes, the perception may be that you didn’t succeed as an artist and are subsequently working in galleries, museums or academia as default. These jobs feed art appreciation and enhance one’s practice.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

Well, recently I’ve had an itinerant life, much like my childhood. Reducing all our belongings into a storage space, we set off to travel in Europe for five years. It was a great source of inspiration, the highlight was three months in Florence although all of Italy is an open-air museum.

Travel is a great way to become inspired and enhance your art practice. If you can’t afford to travel, walk your streets, take pictures, take day trips to the beaches and the forests. A wealth of visual cues can come from just examining a tree, its bark and leaves.

Work with what you have. There are ways to avoid paying exorbitant amounts of money at art stores. One artist creates very thin but beautiful layers using translucent plastic shopping bags. Another artist paints on brown paper grocery bags. It may take some time to create an interesting result, so here, the determining factor is patience and perseverance.

Artist residencies are a great way to work in an uninterrupted manner. I
have participated in several and drew great inspiration from colleagues and facilitators.

One time, I was in charge of receiving a significant show of masterpieces from a major museum in New York. In fact, the works were so valuable that they came to Florida in semi trailer trucks escorted by many security service cars only stopping to refuel. My young son proudly told his class about his mom unpacking and holding a Van Gogh. His art teacher rebuked him and told the class that this was impossible, it had to be a poster.

I collaborated with several dance groups and taught at museums, community colleges and community centers. Teaching was inspiring, especially interacting with the students. I also refined my approach towards art and art history, as I prepared for each class.

I was invited to the National Endowment for the Arts on two different occasions. We had a month of preparation, massive binders were mailed to us to review and evaluate, and then we convened in Washington DC to make selections, deliberations and finally vote.

As part of Miami’s Art Basel committee, I wonder how to avoid having commercial art fairs house work on temporary walls of uninteresting cubicles in uninspiring convention centers.

As for what lies ahead-the future of art and artists is being tested by AI. This will have huge ramifications for all artists, their practice and their livelihood.

These six images are from a series:

Night & Day, 2023
a photographic series
by Veronica Scharf Garcia.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My greatest source of inspiration is Rosa de la Cruz, who has a fantastic public space for her collection in Miami. We worked together for many years on a committee for art in public places, of which I was chairperson. Her dedication and commitment is exemplary. Following the art critic, Jerry Saltz, on social media is also great.

Instagram: verogoart

Facebook: veronicascharfgarcia

Image Credits
* (The 6 images are from my series of my work) caption: Night & Day, 2023 a photographic series by Veronica Scharf Garcia. * (and there are three additional images taken by me of me)