No. 32: Meet Whitney Rosenson

Gianna: Welcome to Studio Sundays, Whitney! I first found out about you and your work through listening to your podcast, Beyond the Palette. Let's start there. How did you get started with the podcast? What was your idea behind it?

Whitney: I represent eighty-six artists, not exclusively, but my goal was to interview every single one of them for the podcast. The podcast is called Beyond the Palette, because behind what you see the artist produce, there's so much more. There's the process, the motivation, the inspiration, the training, and the background. I wanted to get into that with each of the artists that I represent.

I run an online art gallery and I wanted to expand it because I don't have a brick and mortar space right now. Even if I did have a brick and mortar space, I would probably still do the podcast. The podcast was a great way to expand the business with the goal of supporting artists. I've also interviewed people from other areas like gallery directors and set decorators. 

Gianna: Your business is called Art Dimensions. What are some of your favorite projects you have worked on over the years?

Whitney: I staged an estate with an interior designer in Malibu. It was an 18,000 square foot home and I got to stage the entire space with art. That was a great project, not only because it was lucrative and good exposure for the artists, but it was also fun to collaborate with a designer and decide which pieces were going to go where.

Another recent project I just completed was renting a bunch of pieces to a new TV show. Art Dimensions rents to TV shows and film sets. The artists get to see their work on TV, the big and small screen. I can't mention the name of the show. But I'll let you know when it airs!

Gianna: That's awesome. I saw you've worked with Glow. That was one of my favorite shows on Netflix in the last couple years! 

Gianna: Your online art gallery is called Art Dimensions. How did you start your business? Have you always loved art?

Whitney: Growing up my parents were big contemporary art collectors. I grew up surrounded by art. Whenever we traveled, we would go to museums and galleries, whether we were in Europe or in the States. I just had a love for art, so I majored in art history in college.

Art Dimensions used to belong to my mom. She passed away in 1998. When she passed, I took over the business. I think I had a huge emotional connection to it, because my mom and I were very close and it was her business. Since then, I've developed my own aspects and created the website and the podcast. I’ve taken on about forty more artists and have been running Art Dimensions since 1999.

Gianna: Did you know this was what you wanted to do back then?

Whitney: I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do. I knew that I loved art and I loved my major in college. But when she passed away, it was just sort of a no-brainer. The foundation was laid and I took it on from there.

Gianna: What excites you about the future? What are you looking forward to?

Whitney: For my business, I'm looking to do a pop-up space in the new year and I am really excited about that venture. It would run for a couple of months in the summertime. I'll be able to have an opening, a closing, artists discussions, a dinner party, and different things going on in the space.

Working with more productions really excites me. The other day, I drove on to the Universal lot and delivered a painting. I walked right onto the stage where the sets were. There's a whole world behind the screen that most people don't even know exists. I love working with productions, because it's a fast turnover; they usually lease for a few weeks and then the art comes back. Everyone in that community is so friendly, so hardworking, and so great.

Lastly, I just got elected as an alternate to the Board of Directors for the Set Decorator Society of America, which is a national organization. I'm very excited about that position and working closely with the set decorators. 

Gianna: Is working with productions something your mom did with the business? Or is that a new element you brought in?

Whitney: She had artwork in a few movies. I don't think she worked with any television shows or decorators for television shows. I've definitely expanded that area of the business. My mom worked mostly with corporate offices, law firms, investment banks, and money management firms. I still do that. I recently placed art in a restaurant in LA, which was really fun. Now I'm on the hunt for some boutique hotels that I can infuse with artwork.

Gianna: Whitney, it sounds like you're up to some really amazing things. What an interesting industry to learn a bit about today! Thank you for coming on and I wish you the best with your future endeavors!