Interview with an art advisor and consultant: William Moreno
William Moreno Contemporary, based in Los Angeles, is an art advisory and consulting firm with a mission to provide informed, personalized advice that meets each collector’s singular aspirations.
Emily Logan: How did you get into art consulting?
William Moreno: I studied business in college and worked in the corporate arena several years–mostly in marketing and communications. At some point I wanted to make a change–perhaps my upbringing influenced me–I ended up managing a commercial gallery and later directing a museum. In many respects, museums operate similarly to businesses without the profit motive. The daily financial and personnel management was familiar to me. The challenge was balancing numerous constituencies: staff, board of directors, the surrounding communities, members, and fundraising–which is a constant. I eventually left the museum field and decided to embark on art, management and consulting, and executive coaching. I think I worked with over 100 non-profits and leaders, both arts and non-arts. They all had common challenges with board interactions and fundraising; nothing really changes. I also advise collectors on acquiring art–these tend to be very focused and shorter term. My goal is not to direct collectors to certain artists but it is to build on their personal collecting interests.
EL: I first learned about you in the Artillery article about the Cheech Marin Museum in Riverside, CA. Other than writing the article and interviewing Marin, did you play any part in establishing the museum?
WM: No. I did, however, know Cheech Marin from his involvement on the board of directors at San Francisco’s Mexican Museum and was aware of his impressive collection. I support and laud what he and the city of Riverside have created; it’s an important watershed institution for artists and Latino culture in greater Southern California.
EL: I noticed a painting of you as a child by your father on your website. Your father–Anthony Moreno–was an artist and went to ArtCenter College of Design. Can you share more about that painting and what it was like having a father who was an artist growing up?
WM: The painting does mean a lot to me–our dad was a hero to all my siblings. He emerged from WWII as a Purple Heart recipient having lost most of his left arm. Thankfully, it was not his drawing arm. He always had a knack for art, and so, via the GI Bill, he attended ArtCenter and graduated in 1950. He was a rare student in that there were no Latino students save one or two. He went on to become an art director in a number of prominent advertising agencies and did quite a bit of work for Parsons. Most were commercial projects as well as identity work for Palm Springs Hotels and other brands including some bodybuilding magazines with Arnold Schwarzenegger, which is an interesting story.
He had a small garage studio and, in what spare time he had, he’d paint and draw landscapes and portraits of his kids. I don’t think we thought much of it–it was just a natural extension of family life–all artworks in the home were his. Visitors really coveted them. He also made custom birthday and Christmas cards every year. But he never sold or marketed any of his art. The fact that he did this with one arm really impressed friends; he was extremely facile with it. He also loved music–jazz, classical, and light opera–as well as reading. He and my mother loved the performing arts and regularly attended programs at the Music Center. He belonged to a book-of-the-month club, so we all got the benefit of a small library with contemporary fiction and non-fiction. I think I read Rachel Carson’s seminal Silent Spring at 10. That family experience gave me a sense that art was not something elusive, exclusive, or elite–it was a natural expression of human and family experience–a perspective that influences me to this day.
EL: Your father’s work was acquired by the Smithsonian. I’d love to learn more about the process of getting his work into the Smithsonian.
WM: That was a case of timing and serendipity. When my dad passed, he left behind a large archive of commercial works, as well as his paintings, sketches, drawings, and ephemeral material from the 1950s through the 1980s. It sat in a spare bedroom for years until I started organizing it. I submitted one of his paintings for a Smithsonian open call exhibit and although they didn’t take the entry, it led to a referral to the Smithsonian Museum of American History.
The curator we worked with oversaw a very specific section of the museum that collected art of the commercial art world. She indicated an interest, and we flew to D.C. for an in-person meeting. I took my brother and nephews. It was quite fun, and the curator could not have been more gracious. She wanted nearly all of my dad’s archives, which filled a gap in their collection. I felt his work fit more directly into the narrative of American history as opposed to an ethnocentric institution, which can often feel isolated. The Smithsonian also has a service where any family member or scholar can make an appointment to view the materials.
EL: With the recent Executive Order to cut IMLS funding, how do you think this will affect the art world and museum work?
WM: It’s hard to predict, however, the loss of any funding can be a major detriment. Specifically the Japanese American Museum is at risk of losing $2 million this fiscal year.1 The message it sends is tragic. A civil society should support arts and culture.
EL: Any artists you’d like to give a shout out to?
WM: My big current focus is Outsider artists and I have been working with the Estate of Martin Ramirez in New York.
EL: Any interesting projects you are currently working on that you’d like to share?
WM: I’m really focused on writing, art reviews aside, I’ve written a number of artists' monographs and other separate projects.
William Moreno is a Los Angeles native and an independent art advisor, writer, and curator. He was previously the Executive Director of The Mexican Museum, San Francisco, and the founding Director of the Claremont Museum of Art. He is a consultant for the Los Angeles County Arts Department. William’s past board service includes Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE) and the California Association of Museums. He has served on the City of Los Angeles (C.O.L.A.) Individual Artist Fellowships, NALAC Fund for the Arts, California Community Foundation Mid-Career Artists Fellowships, portfolio reviewer for PhotoAlliance and the Los Angeles Art Association, and panelist for Legacy Artists Foundation Award.
https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/japanese-american-national-museum-dei-initiatives-1234737935/