As we begin to feel that the new year really has started, it seems like a good time to answer one of those questions that so often gets asked by visitors to the gallery and in curious emails. It might even be something that you’ve asked yourself. The question is ‘What’s it like, working in the gallery?’

In many ways this is hard to answer precisely. It varies from person to person, and from day to day. Installation days, for example, are unlike any others – in fact they deserve a separate post all to themselves! – but even more ordinary days can be full of surprises. The gallery may look pristine, calm and relaxed – but that doesn’t mean that the people working in it aren’t frantically busy sometimes. Every week presents us with new challenges, but also with new sources of interest and enjoyment.

The main thing that we’ve found is to expect the unexpected. You might have thought you were going to spend most of your day making sure all the details for the coming reception were sorted out and contacting artists about their artwork, but in fact you might end up unpacking art that has arrived earlier than anticipated and talking to customs about incoming works. Of course, sometimes your list has tasks which simply have to take priority, but often the important thing is to go with the flow and deal with whatever issue presents itself to you. As long as you take it all calmly, there’s usually time for everything in the end.

When you really do run out of time, a colleague might be able to help you with some of the things that really need to happen. We’re very fortunate in the gallery in that we work well as a team, and knowing that you can always call on someone else for help or advice makes everything seem easier. Having said that, of course each member of staff has their own area of expertise and responsibility, and that will have an impact on how an individual’s day or week works out.

Maintaining a good relationship with all the people and companies who help us make exhibitions and events a success is also crucial. For example, many artists ask us to have their works framed when they arrive in the U.S. This has a number of advantages – it can be cheaper to send, is often easier to pack, and it means that we can choose the frame that suits the work best for when it is in the gallery. All this means that the framer is a crucial person in getting everything done in time and in the right way – so having a good dynamic with him is pretty important!

A number of our daily surprises come by phone and email – questions about how the gallery runs, how representation works, about artwork viewed on ARTmine and how to purchase it, and so on – but sometimes from walk-ins as well. Agora is on the second floor of our building, but that doesn’t lessen the number of people who wander in; New York is a vertical city, and even someone who is visiting relatively briefly understands that very quickly. The result is that a number of passers-by enjoy the atmosphere of the gallery, ask questions about artists, and sometimes fall in love with a particular work and just have to have it.

So what is it like working in the gallery? It’s challenging, surprising and a lot of fun!