Meet Linda Mariano | Managing Director of Marketing for Redwood Art Group

We had the good fortune of connecting with Linda Mariano and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Linda, why did you pursue a creative career?
Some people think of a career in art as a risk, but I see it as a creative opportunity. If you work hard and love what you do, the career becomes successful!

I have always loved and been inspired by art, especially that of the great masters, and I recognize the creativity and dedication it requires to become a successful artist. I have had an eclectic career, and in several of my previous jobs, I have found marketing to be exciting and creative, too. I was lucky in that these two passions merged for me when I found myself working for an art publishing company that had a robust licensing program. Suddenly, I found my passion and niche in the art industry. I was fascinated with the opportunity of art being the basis for licensed products, and with more immersion, I found I was able to use many of the skills from my marketing background; this became the perfect meld of my strengths and interests.

Now, as the Managing Director of Marketing for Redwood Art Group, I am constantly inspired by the creativity of our exhibitors. Modern artists have the same inspiration and perseverance to pursue that artistic dream as those great masters had – and I want to help them succeed, help them realize their journey, and get to their goals. Happily, I am given that opportunity with Art San Diego as well as the other art fairs and initiatives we manage across the United States.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Oddly enough, I have a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and taught kindergarten for 5 years before my move to Macy’s. Working with 5-year-olds gives you great skills that I still use today!

When I was doing licensing work with the art publishing company, one of the things we participated in as an exhibitor was one of the largest art fairs in the world, Artexpo New York, where I met Eric Smith, the fair Director. In 2009 he became the owner of Artexpo and simultaneously, he founded Redwood Art Group. He contracted me to develop an educational program for Artexpo, a key feature of the fair with a curriculum for artists as well as collectors. After doing that as a consultant for Redwood, in 2012, Eric asked me to come on board full-time. Now I am Managing Director of Marketing for Redwood and the major shows we do around the United States, including Art San Diego, Art Santa Fe, Spectrum Miami, Red Dot Miami, and Artexpo New York.

I don’t think I look at new experiences as challenges so much as I think of them as opportunities. I have had many amazing opportunities to learn divergent industries – from an early career in education to roles in marketing, program development, and event management, operating in partnership with many different people in an organization, to working with a major broadcast network, and a licensing business – all culminating in helping Redwood Art Group manage and grow their business. Being on the ground floor of development strategies and initiatives that embrace the visions of the CEO – a full circle of connecting artists with galleries, collectors and other artists – in an event and media company that produces contemporary art fairs across the US and that is also a media company with a newsletter for collectors and galleries is a rewarding experience, supporting artists in multiple aspects of their business. For example, in 2023 we began the “Collective Program,” a masterclass for artists exhibiting at Art Santa Fe, to give artists who are part of the Collective the tools and resources to help them grow and develop their business.

In San Diego, we have worked with UBS to establish the Access to Art Program – a creative and collaborative strategy to reach more deeply into the community and create opportunities for those who might not have equal access. We work with selected charities and the families they serve to share opportunities in art, design, business development, and more. This year brings a returning collaboration among Monarch School, Humble Design, and local artists from ARTS DISTRICT Liberty Station. Art San Diego attendees will enjoy special installations from each of our non-profit partners, can purchase artwork created for the Access to Art program by kids experiencing homelessness, and learn more about how each group makes the San Diego community a better place to live.

Each art fair and each new program is an exciting, yet challenging endeavor. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned is to stay flexible and listen carefully. And don’t be afraid of new opportunities.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Ah – so many wonderful places to go in San Diego! When people visit the San Diego Convention Center for Art San Diego from Nov. 1-3, it is right on the waterfront in a beautiful location, truly iconic when you think of San Diego. In the heart of downtown and just a few short blocks away, there is the Gaslamp District, with amazing restaurants, as well as a fun and vibrant night life. On weekends, street closures make it feel like a continuation of a festival.

Our many exhibitors and attendees stay at the great hotels nearby; our personal favorite is the Pendry Hotel with its restaurants, bars, pool, and clubs under one roof. Liberty Station and the artists’ studios there present a diversity of art, great restaurants and a movie theatre; visitors could easily make a day of it. Then there is also Balboa Park with its numerous museums, which present a plethora of museums and revolving exhibits; and in Spanish Village there is another artists’ community where visitors can check out the studios, find new artwork, and be inspired by creativity. On our last day in San Diego, we always love going to the spa at the Hotel Del, just to relax and enjoy ourselves, maybe even take a walk on the beach because it is clear and beautiful in San Diego in November.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Early in my marketing career, my boss and mentor was Bill Belardi, a VP of Merchandising at Macy’s California; I was part of the executive management program and became a member of his team. I was given the opportunity to learn the effectiveness of well-designed marketing campaigns as well as merchandising. I also learned the significance of a P&L (profit and loss statement). In most companies, marketing is considered a P&L expense center, and you don’t get a growth budget unless you have a positive impact on profit.

As members of the buying team, Bill and I formed a unique duo, and we created significant success in the tabletop world of Macy’s California, which includes merchandising and sale of dinnerware, flatware, giftwares, and so on. I was a Merchandise Councillor – marketing tabletop products across multiple stores in the state – all to support the Bridal & Gift Registry. I gained experience and learned about everything that goes into creating successful events through the development of bridal fairs, which required me to coordinate staging along with developing advertising – and we did this with essentially no budget; the money had to come from the buyers whose merchandise was being featured. Bill helped me to learn negotiation and sales skills, too. I was at Macy’s for 15 years.

Then a few years later, while I was the VP of Marketing for a giftware company, I got an introduction to the Discovery Channel through Bill’s wife, Pat, who was the General Merchandise Manager and Senior VP for Discovery Channel Retail. She offered me an opportunity to become an ombudsman between Discovery Networks and the retail division; this was at a time when multiple networks started developing retail stores for merchandising and licensing of products associated with their shows. A chain of Discovery Channel Retail stores were being built, one store at a time. I bridged the networks’ upcoming key programming with the merchandise in the stores. My marketing and negotiation skills were tapped, and it gave me great opportunity to work with scientists, health companies, travel companies, animal groups — an amazing array of experts that were involved in upcoming programming that could be represented with merchandise in the stores. You see this today when you walk into any store and their merch is there in advance of a movie or TV program being released, helping to market their programming, and pushing forward the brand and the upcoming programming. This gave me an opportunity to travel as well and even though I lived in the Bay Area of California, I spent a great deal of time on the East Coast, working closely with each of the Discovery networks and planning launch events. Ultimately, all of this led to my career doing the same for art and artists. I might mention, Bill and Pat are still close friends.

Website: https://redwoodartgroup.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redwoodartgroup/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/redwood-art-group/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/redwoodartgroup/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNL0Sj0grmXQzR9nX9WnPsw

Image Credits
Credit photos to Redwood Art Group