Dave Ross is living a life in the art world that most people would love to have. He went from a top-ranking Wall Street analyst to a promising abstract painter who is receiving very positive reviews from collectors. My husband and I bought two paintings from Dave that we adore, one of them is an absolute favorite.

Dave is what I call a free spirit who believes in the art of the possible. He surrounds himself with people who are as adventurous as he is and believes in the power of positive energy.

Lots of folks call Dave a polymath. He is also a mentor to many, a philanthropist, and writer. A long-time art collector and patron of artists, Dave now has his own studio practice in Miami, FL, USA. He also serves on the Ubuntu Council for the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP), the Global Council of Zeitz MOCAA, and on the Board of Directors for The Fountainhead Arts.

There are so many extraordinary stories to the life of Miami gallerist Mindy Solomon that I just don’t know where to begin this introduction to Art Lovers Forum. She says you can pretty much follow her life by the ceramics she’s collected over the years and the ones she exhibits in her gallery. Most of them tell a story that parallels her life.

I keep thinking of the one where Mindy basically closes down her art career in St. Petersburg, FL because she felt the city of Miami would give her a broader and more sophisticated audience for the paintings, sculptures, ceramics and newly discovered artists she wanted to introduce. It took a solid three years for her husband to leave his medical practice in St. Petersburg and establish a new one in Miami, get her four children to move closer to her, become a leading force in the Miami community, and make Miami a serious art town.

Today, Mindy is considered one of the most respected gallerists in the business because she has introduced new worlds of art to everyone who knows her. The exposure has had a positive impact on our lives. Every time I see her petite presence come walking towards me I think of what she has accomplished and why more women don’t do the same thing. I hope the following podcast of Art Lovers Forum is an inspiration to everyone of any age.

Leon Ford is an author and activist who wants to open a non-profit art gallery in Pittsburgh that showcases powerful works but also serves as a hub for community connection and dialogue. Leon has real life experience to make this happen. When he was 19 years old in 2012, Leon was shot five times by a Pittsburgh police officer as he was racially profiled during a case of mistaken identity. He has been paralyzed ever since.

He is a man of his word. He wrote a book about what happened to him called “An Unspeakable Hope” which was published by Simon & Schuster. In it he explains how he faced these new truths and discovered the power of forgiveness and letting go of his hatred. He explains how his harrowing experience inspired his lifelong commitment to social activism.

Now he hopes to have a Gallery space that emphasizes that art is more than an industry—it’s a medium for healing, storytelling, and social impact. Leon grew up in Pittsburgh and has been an art collector and advisor in the community for years. He is also the founder of The Hear Foundation, the first and only nonprofit in Pittsburgh dedicated to collaborating with community leaders, Police, and residents to create a safe, thriving community for all.

I met Graham Wilson, the founder of Swivel Gallery in New York City, for the first time a few weeks ago at the Material Art Fair in Mexico City. I have been hearing positive news about the four year old gallery from a few art collectors recently and got curious how Graham functions in such a competitive market as New York.

I think once you hear his interview in Art Lovers Forum you will get a life lesson we all seem to forget especially in these turbulent times. Graham just does his own thing. While he does visit other nearby galleries to see what they are featuring, he sticks to his own premise of introducing artists from around the world to give collectors an opportunity to see new trends. He also exhibits forward thinking local artists who dare to explore and experiment.

When we walked into his Material booth we felt like we entered a different world from everyone else who was exhibiting art. Swivel had three dimensional work by artist Amy Bravo that made you stop, stare and wonder. Her collaged canvases feature irregular forms where she combines graphite drawings with painterly techniques. These drawings evolve into paintings, embroidery, and assemblage sculptures.

We just had to buy one. My husband Eliot and I like abstract expressionism art that expresses our desire to move into new worlds. We love living an alternative lifestyle. Our bodies are in their senior years but our minds are young, curious and open to new thinking. We kind of expressed that to Graham and he then directed us to a piece that we never would have picked on our own. It startled us a bit but we took a step back, stared at it for a while and then knew it symbolized all the risks we have ever taken.

Graham said he loves not being a typical gallerist that lets visitors navigate exhibits on their own. He enjoys giving opinions, making comments and getting feedback from collectors. We felt he instantly because a good friend. We are counting on him to let us know the most pressing themes of today, creating a platform for a global conversation and confrontation.

Graham’s early career in the art world was marked by a diverse range of roles that laid the foundation for his future endeavors as a gallerist. After moving to New York from Louisville, Kentucky, at the age of 19, he began working as an art handler for Hauser & Wirth. He also pursued his passion for art by creating his own pieces. His innovative approach involved shredding failed canvases, soaking the remnants in mineral spirits and paint stripper, and then weaving and wrapping these fragments into textured tableaux. This unique technique garnered attention, leading to a pop-up show in Brooklyn that sold out, establishing him as an emerging artist. However, his years working in a gallery and helping to establish a wide range of successful artists, made him realize that was his first love.

Marc Wehby needs no introduction to people who love to collect art. He and his wife Susie Kravetz, both owners of Kravetz/Wehby in NYC for the last 26 years, have been major influencers in the purchasing of art for both new and experienced collectors.

In fact, Marc told me that many older collectors are now focusing on emerging artists because they like the work being produced. He said that folks with extensive collections feel they have enough pedigree paintings and are now anxious to freshen up what they own with what’s hot today.

I was first introduced to Marc years ago long before we recently got friendly. Our art mentor, Richard Ekstract, used to talk about Marc and Susie all the time because he bought art from them. He used to say that he trusted their taste and experience. I remember these words, “They love art so it reflects in their gallery.”

The one action point that really blew me away was when Marc asked if he could visit our home to see our collection. No other gallerist ever asked to do that. Some might think that was a ploy to sell us more art. I asked Marc about that. He said he has been visiting the homes of collectors since the very beginning of opening a gallery. “I learn a lot about what collectors want the minute I step in to their homes.” I had the nerve to ask him what impression he got after walked into mine. Not a second went by when he said, “In your face, loud, and daring.” I loved it. That’s us.

Welcome to Art Lovers Forum. I am very excited about this interview with Moiz Zilberman. This is the first time I am talking to a gallerist who owns galleries in three countries. In fact, he has multiple galleries in each city. He is certainly experiencing the art world on a grand scale.

Moiz’s galleries are in Istanbul, Berlin and Miami. He feels the Magic City is the perfect place to promote conceptual art. He’s not saying that other markets are not ripe for new ideas, he is just emphasizing that Miami has one of the biggest contemporary audiences on earth.

“Everything is relatively new in Miami, the condos, the shopping areas, the clubs, the restaurants, the art galleries and most of all the age of residents, young. You can tell what the environment is like by the museums. Most of the art work exhibited is contemporary no matter what artists and country they are featuring.”

Moiz is very passionate about conceptual art and that is one of the main reasons he is a gallerist in three countries, which may grow in the next few years. His major desire is to introduce artists from Europe and the Middle East to the United States and South America. Vice versa as well. Having galleries in strategic locations gives him the ability to make the proper introductions.

That’s one of the reasons why Moiz opened the Zilberman Gallery in the Design District. The area is one of the most exclusive and exciting neighborhoods in Miami. It’s a perfect fit. Most of the folks who visit the Design District want the highest form of fashion and design. Moiz is ready to meet that desire with his alternative artists.

Zilberman is celebrating its 15th year, representing 29 international artists from Turkey to Mexico, Hong Kong to Colombia, and Germany. With the addition of the new Miami location, it now has a total of six galleries in three cities: Istanbul, Berlin, and Miami, making it an international hub for contemporary art.

I’m grateful that Yiwei Lu agreed to be interviewed by Art Lovers Forum during this difficult time in Los Angeles. Her galleries are in Venice Beach and Wuhan, China.

We officially met during the Art Fairs in Miami last month. Miami friends of mine, Emily and Chris Campbell, bought art from Yiwei more than a year ago and they now have a close relationship.

I wanted to hear what it was like being an art dealer in Los Angeles during the recent horrific wildfires. I knew Yiwei would talk from the heart. While she plans to forge forward, she is taking a little time for herself to absorb the destruction of her adopted town.

To date, the fires have killed at least 27 people, destroyed more than 12,000 structures and charred more than 60 square miles. You have to be very strong to stay upbeat when so many folks around her are suffering from tremendous losses. While art isn’t the number one item on your wish list when everything you own is gone, it certainly can bring great joy to those who find paintings, sculptures, assemblages, etc., therapeutic. Yiwei wants to support the community through this rebuild era.

Yiwei opened her gallery in Venice Beach in 2019. One of her clients is actor Billy Zane who she says is also a terrific artist as well. She loves living in Los Angeles and says despite many of the challenges ahead, most folks plan to stay. Part of her mission is to bring joy into the lives of people who are in limbo now. She will work to discover and promote unique and underrepresented voices, fostering cross-cultural understanding through art with the mission of integrating art into everyday life.

Yiwei will continue to be highly active in the art fair circuit, participating in notable fairs such as Photofairs New York, Intersect Palm Springs, San Francisco Art Fair, Future Fair New York, Spring Break Los Angeles, and Beijing Dangdai Art Fair. The gallery is also set to attend Intersect Aspen, Art 021 Shanghai, and Untitled Miami. Additionally, Yiwei Gallery collaborates with nonprofit art organizations and art festivals globally, including Casa Reigs in Italy and the Shenyang International Localized Art Festival.

I just want to say that I love Carmin Kilpatrick’s artwork. She is only a freshman in college and yet she has mastered creating art that is filled with mystery, intrigue, secrets, fascination and new shapes and designs. I can stare at her work forever.

I have shown her work to a few experts who like what they see and are now waiting anxiously to see what she produces over the next few years. I am going to collect a few of her paintings now because I believe she is going to embrace new trends and opportunities in the future. When you listen to her podcast interview, you will hear she has the right, genuine attitude, interest and natural desire to make her mark in the art world.

Carmin feels that through her work, she can provoke thought, spark dialogue, and illuminate important personal and social issues. Her art delves into the intertwined concepts of truth, judgment, and change, exploring how they shape identity in a rapidly evolving world.

She was born in California but grew up in South Florida and attended the Arts Academy at North Broward Preparatory School for high school (as their first scholarship recipient). Carmin traveled to Italy and received a grant to spend 6 weeks in Wexford, Ireland, practicing art with a small group of students. Besides art, she loves fashion and creative direction—from mood boards, to styling, to photoshoots. Carmin hopes to work with fashion as another medium of art. She is currently a Studio Art BFA major at Florida State University.