1. You're a Jersey girl, if I'm not mistaken. Do you think that growing up
there contributed to your perspective on culture?

New Jersey is definitely the state of the underdog--growing up you're constantly reminded of your inherent lameness since Manhattan looms so large on the horizon. My dream was to escape from the northern New Jersey suburbs as quickly as possible--and Manhattan was the only place I could fathom living. I was always amazed that so few of my schoolmates shared this passion and even today how many have chosen to remain in our small town.

I started stealing into the city as a teenager in the early 80s with my best friend Caroline, who had the ticket to freedom: a prized Volkswagon convertible bug, which we inevitably totaled. We would leave from Kit Hong, a Chinese restaurant in the mall where I waitressed--and would change into our nightclub gear at a diner in nearby Wayne every weekend. We'd then run off to Danceteria, Peppermint Lounge, the Ritz--New York was quite a different city in the 80s. I had this notion that when I was older how fantastic my life would be because I wouldn't look--and feel--like I was from New Jersey.

I think the nightclub and music scene, more than art, influenced this idea I had of autonomy--of carving out my own path, of making my life up as I went along. I would especially love to observe all the downtown punk and new wave kids--with whom I felt some affinity as we had this music and manner of dress in common--and was hopeful that I might become a person who wouldn't feel exhausted by life, which I equated with being trapped forever in a Jersey suburb.

Now I have a different perspective on New Jersey--I'm into New Jersey: The Idea. Flying under the radar as an underdog is not such a bad approach in life.

2. What was your first encounter with the world of selling art?

The endless garage and moving sales that my parents would drag us to every weekend all over the Jersey map. They packed the station wagon to the gills with five small children and various paraphernalia to keep the peace, and off we went to seek out treasures in all the northern counties. My parents loved scouring the countryside and later became obsessed with country auctions, where they assembled, surprisingly, a nice collection of 19th Century American furniture.

Because my parents also staged their own grand garage sales, one summer day my sister and I were inspired to do the same. We must've been 10 or 11.. We posted signs throughout our town announcing our garage "super sale". We sat in the driveway with a small collapsible table full of stuffed animals and stained glass. Cars crept by--but not one stopped to make a purchase. This was my first attempt at sales, and I can safely say that it accurately foreshadows the rate of business done at my art gallery.

3. Is there some kind of philosophy behind your curatorial process? What
kind of artists do you find yourself drawn to?

I've always simply shown what I like. There seems to be a measurable dose of naivete in much of the work--a kind of neo-Americana, or self-taught approach. Then there's another strain that heavily references pop culture--music, tv, fashion, video games.

I'm also inspired by things I might see, hear or read--an image, sound or passage that functions as a refrain that plays over and over in my mind over until I work it out. Most of my shows around 1997-2000 were about a late 60s Jim Marshall photograph of Jimmy Page and Robert Plant sitting backstage in dirty white shoes. I was also fixated on Howard Hughes and a book he is purported to have written called "My Life and Opinions".

I'm interested in the idea of life as a dramatic quagmire--the guitar god, the aviator…these are big, messy, sometimes risky, ways to live. I looked at these ideas as the backstory of many of my exhibits, though it wasn't overt and never competed with what was actually on view. But it loosely influenced what I would show.

5. You have shown a lot of work by women, most recently in your show, Girls
Gone Wild. How did the idea behind that show develop?

I like working with women--I find that women generally do not have the outsized expectations when it comes to shows, sales and reviews that some men might have. Women seem to understand the power in being flexible and practical--that it's wise to have your hand in a number of side projects, projects that can ultimately lead down surprising paths and benefit them as artists.
Girls Gone Wild grew out of work we were in the midst of with the artist Katherine Bernhardt as part of the other company (Kinetic Federation) I run with my partner Jacqui Millar. Katherine is great to work with: imaginative, funny, and smart.

6. Your openings are notoriously fun, if I may say so. Do you think the art
world is generally too stuffy?

I find the conventions of the art world pretty dull. The process of installing, selling, de-installing every sixth week is not incredibly inspiring to me--it becomes rote. I don't think it's possible to present 10 strong shows a year especially when a gallery is exhibiting the same 12 to 20 represented artists year in, year out.

That's partly why I've withdrawn from representing artists in the long-term. The process grinds the exchange of ideas to a halt. The high profile gallery system has become enamored with concrete spaces designed by big name architects for the perfectly sleek work that sits encased in them. It's been Jerry Bruckheimerized.
In saying that, I have to admit I love it nonetheless. There's always another way

to go about it and I consider that the longer path. I'm not interested in short cuts.

7. Several gallerists have packed up and moved to LA in past ten years or so..
Would you ever consider joining them?

I thought about it briefly--I like Los Angeles. But I don't identify myself with that place--it's like New Jersey on crack.

8. What is Kinetic Federation?

Kinetic Federation started in September 2001 as a collaboration between Jacqui Millar of Idealogue, and myself. Our company draws on the resources of the BKG and Idealogue--an international, distributive network of creative talent in contemporary art, avant-garde fashion, music, film/video and athletics worlds--to create commercial identities for clients. We operate on the principle of synergy--the exchange of ideas. Our role transforms from project to project, whether working as art directors, as producers, as conceptors, or as branding specialists.

9. What are you working on now?

We're working on a project with adidas and Soundwalk who teamed up to create The Bronx Soundwalk. It's an immersive audio experience that simultaneously functions as oral history. It's something of a homage to the Bronx for its massive influence on everything from culture to sport. We've interviewed and recorded such legendary figures as Roger Clemens, Joe Torre, Afrika Bambaataa, The Original Jazzy Jay, Kool DJ Red Alert, CHAIN3, CRASH and the TATS CRU. It's been a unique experience--you'll hear more about it when it launches in early September.

We also just staged the second installment of FANATIC, the soccer tournament on Pier 40 that we work on with adidas. It was a great success again this year, with teams from all walks of life and business battling it out to the very end. Curiously, Tommy Saleh's international jetsetter team prevailed this year.