This week we are highlighting Sarah Watson Gray, Class of 2014, formerly an educator and fundraiser at the Museum of Modern Art in New York who now works simultaneously with the National YoungArts Foundation and the California Institute of Art (CalArts). Generously, she shared with me her experience at Davidson, a stepping stone that set off her journey in the art world.
Gray had foreseen a career closely tied to art history and classics after taking several classes in these areas early in her time at Davidson. “I feel like this is where my energy comes from and what I am supposed to be doing.” she said, “I just don’t think that anything could have gone differently.” With the cultural insights that she brought from classics and art history, Gray came to see art as “a platform for discourse and conversation” that brings together a vast variety of emotion and information, a calming and beautiful place where “people can talk about everything and anything.”
Recalling her time at Davidson, Gray laughed at the stubbornness to fill her spare time with valuable experiences in several areas in the art world, from working with the college’s curator to completing condition reports at the Mint Museum in downtown Charlotte. Empowered by her passion to make “the conversation” possible, right after graduating from Davidson Gray stepped into duo roles in education and fundraising at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in the dazzling center of artistic creation, New York City. “Davidson prepared me for this,” she said, “The strong writing skills, as well as my fundraising skills, provided me with the ability to lift the programs that the artists present.” She proudly expressed her appreciation for the role of a fundraiser, a critical position that ensures artists the tools they need to make reality projects that explore and contextualize the issues of our time.
After 5 years with MoMA, Gray recently left to collaborate with the National YoungArts Foundation and the California Institute of Arts (CalArts). When speaking of her experience with CalArts, Gray’s passion and excitement were evident: “It is a super-experimental place with free-spirited and powerful pedagogy about how artists come to their practice and provide resources at their fingertips to take them to the next step.” The difference between working at MoMA and CalArts seemed like an exciting and inspiring change. While her former job was more structured, the latter feels less censored. It was this spontaneity, which could not be easily found elsewhere, that deeply attracted Gray. Looking forward to a post-Covid world, Gray is eager to get out and promote young artists as they find their place in the New York art world.
The art gallery industry, Gray described, is a “fascinating microcosm of business,” an area full of potentials for different people; but, it is also an over-saturated market. In the course of pursuing her career, Gray was always prepared: “I really cannot think of anything that I regret. I wouldn’t have changed the decisions that I made in the past.” Just like assembling a puzzle, with a frame constructed during her time in Davidson, Gray kept filling it with unique pieces collected on her adventure in the art world. Essentially, it is her diverse experiences that define who she is and has helped her stand out in the industry.
Gray emphasized that internships are especially helpful to build a well-rounded experience and equip yourself with the flexibility to combat challenges. A short cut for all Davidson students, as Gray pointed out, is the strong network of alumni who, including herself, are always open to sharing their experiences. “I spent the fall of my senior year going through a list of alumni who had a job in the gallery. Gosh, I probably had set up 8 or 9 phone calls,” Gray said with laughter. “They were great sources of information at the start of my career. I believe many of them, myself included now, are always eager to answer any questions that students have.
– Sarah Zhang ’23