Meet Barbara Anderson | Co-founder Art on the Ave NYC

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

Hi Barbara, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I actually did not intend to start my own business. Art on the Ave NYC was a response to a particular situation and time. I started Art on the Ave in the summer of 2020. It was the height of Covid in the city and there was such disappointment and anger over the killing of George Floyd. Everyone was so stressed and so anxious. I wanted to find something hopeful to do with all the vacant storefronts that were blighting the streetscape while supporting under-represented artists. It seemed that transforming empty shops into vibrant galleries that all could admire from the sidewalks was a solution-albeit temporary- to the challenges the city was facing.

I never intended Art on the Ave NYC to be a business. It was meant to be a one-off exhibition. However, the idea seemed to capture people’s imaginations and we have been going ever since. 5 other exhibitions have happened since the first one and lots of other off shoots of the project have sprung up. We now have a studio space program with artists-in-residence, we’ve had artists live painting in various locations including the top of the World Trade Center, and we have businesses in various neighborhoods asking us to curate art for their spaces.

We now also have a store in the Oculus.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Though I now run a public art non-profit, I am actually a career teacher. For 27 years I taught in international schools in both North America and Europe. I have taught mostly high school and middle school my whole life. Interestingly, I realize now that teachers do so much in their day to day.
Art on the Ave NYC is not too far off from what I have done in school my whole life. It is all about brining people together, working collaboratively, encouraging those who don’t really care- to care. I see the end game of the project and the rest is all about coaxing people to participate, keeping up the energy and the excitement, putting out the fires. It is all part of project management, and I love it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I had friends visiting NYC I would definitely start by taking them to an Art on the Ave exhibition. What better way to get a sense of a neighborhood than to stroll the streets observing people, looking at art in a leisurely way, going into the smaller businesses, and stopping for a coffee or a drink.

I would also rent bikes and ride them along the West Side Highway all the way Downtown. I’d detour into Meatpacking and West Village and eventually make my way to the Battery. Lots of great spots to eat along that route.

Another day we’d hang closer to Central Park and walk northward into Harlem. The park is very different at that end. It is a little wilder and freer on the north end, and I like it better.

There are lots of great restaurants in the East Village so I would probably book something fun down there for an evening.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to Shoutout NYFA (New York Foundation for the Arts). This organization has acted as my fiscal sponsor since the inception of Art on the Ave NYC. The staff there, in particular, Madeleine Cutrona, have been a huge help to me as I have maneuvered the non-profit world.

I’d also love to Shoutout the Business Improvement Districts in New York City- The Alliance for Downtown, the East Midtown Partnership, and the Columbus Avenue Business Improvement District- for seeing the value in our organization and facilitating as well as funding our exhibitions.

Website: artontheavenyc.com

Instagram: @artontheavenyc

Image Credits
Thingscreative (Ana Starikova)