Deep Ellum gallery Road Agent continues to support the arts despite trying economy

by Laura Seewoester

Road Agent is at first glance a sleepy little gallery on Canton Street in Deep Ellum, slightly off the beaten track of the area of town once known for bustling music venues and a thriving art scene. The gallery was opened in 2006 by owner and former art critic Christina Rees. After working as a full time art critic at the Dallas Observer in the late '90s and freelancing in London and New York, Rees felt homesick and moved back to Dallas where she got a job as an editor at D Magazine. Rees, however, wanted a break. She had done some work with David Quadrini (over at Angstrom Gallery) and through that and seeing the way galleries worked in both New York and London (her husband is an artist, here is his plug) Rees “got the bug” and developed a fascination with the business side of the art world. She also became committed to helping those interested in art to finding an entry point into the scene.

“Maybe I just felt like I needed a break from analyzing other people's work and instead doing something a little unabashedly supportive of it,” Rees said.

The year Reese opened Road Agent was about the time the big wave of galleries moved off Dragon Street; however Rees decided to open her space in Deep Ellum regardless. As a member of a band in Dallas in the late 80's and 90's, Rees was a patron of Deep Ellum and felt very comfortable in the area.

“Even though Deep Ellum was dying a slow painful death around that time, it felt like it was maybe a good place for a rebirth,” Rees said.

While now the Dallas Design District has established itself as a gallery destination, at the time Rees held concern of the commercialism in the Design District and pressure to sell work that she did not personally believe in. She has also built a relationship with other galleries in Deep Ellum, and they coordinate their openings and work together to steer people away from Deep Ellum's reputation from being an “unsafe” place to visit. (For anybody that hasn't heard... Deep Ellum is safe now.)

In selecting exhibitions, Rees makes an effort to build a network within the art scene. “It really is about a consensus building network and most of the art I've found I've gotten to it through channels I was already plugged into.”

Being able to believe in the artist's work, however, is one of Rees' top priorities. While the fact that she rarely shows art from a cold call can be intimidating for an artist or even a new collector, there is a certain confidence that Rees brings with the work that she represents (especially given her history as a critic).

One way Rees helps address challenges her gallery faces is through the Contemporary Art Dealers of Dallas (CADD). She is one of the founding members of CADD, an organization that specifically addresses issues and challenges for dealers of contemporary art, and they have recently expanded into a non-profit art space downtown.

Galleries these days need all the help they can get. When the economic landscape slides into a deep recession, the luxury that is the arts tends to be the first to suffer. Before the economy crashed at the end of last year, art and collecting started to become fashionable among a younger, late-'20s and -30s crowd. Today, however, most of those buyers have disappeared.

“What is sad is that some of those newest people have dropped out as quickly as they entered into it and I'd like to think we can welcome them back when things start to get better,” said Reese.

While the economic landscape is particularly scary for the art scene, Rees is grateful for the good base of clients she has built since the inception of Road Agent and their continued support.

Despite the current challenges brought on by the recession, it is committed galleries like Road Agent that will hopefully stick together, stick with it, and keep Dallas competitive in the arts in the years to come. Hopefully when things do get better both previous and new collectors will still have a thriving art scene ready and waiting for them.

A group show, Far From the Madding Crowd, is currently on display at Road Agent through the middle of April.

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