We recently had the chance to connect with Angela Ligon and have shared our conversation below.
Angela, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
Because they’re luxury purchases, many times, people perceive fine art to be vain and superficial items focused on external appearance, symbolic of material wealth, social status, or fleeting trends.
However the magic in fine art is through examining the deeper qualities that art offers. Art stimulate intellectual depth and provokes thought as conveys and connects the admirer to the artist’s intended message.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I fell in love with all forms of self-expression, especially visual art, at a very young age. I had my first “art gallery” in my best friend’s bedroom when we were 13. We would create “masterpieces” and display them on what we’d refer to as her “gallery wall”.
As an adult, most days I could be found with a paintbrush in hand after having completed my 8-12 hours workday. Throughout my professional career 25+ years professional career in Corporate Operations I continued to dream of one day becoming a Gallerist.
And the dream was always fresh on my mind. In the evenings, I’d pull out a canvas and paint as the kiddos and I watched programs on tv. All the while, I’d mutter dreams and affirmations of one day selling beautiful works of art for a living.
LIGON FINE ART Gallery is a culmination of all of those dreams and affirmations.
My goal? To inspire others.
Through LIGON FINE ART, artists are inspired to create and art lovers are inspired through their works.
Art is a fiber that connects humans to one another. (Artist and art admirer.) Art stimulates intellectual depth and feeling and it invokes conversation.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who taught you the most about work?
My dad taught me the very most about work through his own work ethic and drive.
He, too, had a calling that pulled at his heartstrings.
A city-dwelling cowboy, my dad dreamt of becoming a rancher after my brothers and I had grown and left home. When he was 40, (around the same age I was when I opened the gallery), he quit his job as a corporate executive and bought his first plot of land, a bull, and 10 cows.
Last week he retired after having established and operated his ranch for 25 years. Triangle B Ranch grew to be a successful 3200 acre operation with over 900 head of wagyu cattle, at any given time. He isn’t only a rancher, but also a change-maker, utilizing his business acumen for the cause, my father eventually held the position of President of, and on the Board of Directors of, the American Wagyu Association.
He taught me that any goal that I wish to achieve is attainable and that I may excel to my heart’s desire.
He proved it through his own success.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I opened my gallery on June 18, 2019. 3 months later the first COVID case was announced in the US. This was the beginning of my first taste of entrepreneurial hardship. It was also a time that I began to question whether or not I was capable of finding success in a tumultuous economic climate.
Since then, I’ve felt a bit tossed about and beat up like a ping pong ball. Whether if it be the pandemic itself, the outrageous increase in commercial rents resulting from the real estate boom that followed, the political climate, or the major hurricanes, (The last of which causing the loss of business location and my home), I’ve learned to pivot my business model to survive.
I have never given up.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
I admire the artists that I represent for their character, rather than their power.
Most of my artists hold, or have held, positions/roles in jobs that they don’t necessarily enjoy so that they could pay the bills. Many of those were considered positions of power.
Meanwhile, they would return to their home studios each day after work to spend time doing the thing they’re most passionate about, creating masterpieces through which they may inspire others.
While this process is very powerful in the end, the artist does not often recognize the power they garnish.
Their power? the ability to stimulate and affect the thoughts and feelings of others without saying a word.
It’s through their works that sad and empty spaces are filled with color, movement and light. Through their subliminal messaging feelings are conjured, conversations begin, and ideas are ignited.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
People tend to assume that because I sell what is considered to be luxury items that I, and perhaps my artists, do it to become wealthy. When, really, I am merely an ambassador for starving artists.
We do it so that we may inspire, connect and wake up those in our community who may have forgotten just how powerful we (humans) may become together.
Every human offers strength and power to the collective. The objective is to figure out where your strength lies.. and to use that strength for the greater good.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ligonfineart.com
- Instagram: @ligonfineart
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/angelaligon
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ligonfineart
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
