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Thinking Outside the White Box

In New York, Chelsea’s contemporary art galleries are feeling the pinch. Last year, the art market only declined by about 4.5 percent, but the post-war and contemporary sectors dropped by 11 percent. In recent months, notable galleries have closed their doors, but that’s not something Michael Lyons Wier plans to do. For the owner and director of the Lyons Wier Gallery, the economic crisis has become an opportunity to let his imagination run free.

For 15 years, the Lyons Wier Gallery on 7th Avenue has featured contemporary art from painters around the globe. But in the downturn, business as usual no longer fits the bill. Lyons Wier has always had a love for interior and product design, artisanal wares and fine crafts. Thinking about how to attract customers and increase sales has given him the chance to extend his passions and think outside of his “white box” to curate surprising exhibitions that augment the paintings his customers expect. Lyons Wier has two spaces in his Chelsea gallery that he’s using to combine paintings with artful objects that expand the scope of the gallery-goer’s experience. Currently on display in Galley One is the work of iconoclastic Western Pop theme painter Matt Straub, “Stand Still, You Buzzards – Don’t Go for Those Guns!” After experiencing colorful, dynamic images of rodeo queens and cowboys, the visitor can continue on to Gallery Two, where, instead of paintings, shiny belt buckles greet the eye. “BUCKLE: The Art and Craft of the Western Belt Buckle” presents the work of 14 of America’s top western and trophy belt buckle silversmiths, highlighting the lineage and superb craftsmanship of this niche industry. Lyons Wier plans to continue to supplement paintings with everything from the productions of world-class chocolatiers to master embroidery work. “Some of the more traditional curators think that only paintings belong in galleries, but I’m not worried about that. The recession has given me an excuse to indulge my passions, and hopefully provide customers with a new reason to visit.”

Tags: art, exhibitions, galleries