Independent Art Fair Hires Ashley Harris, Formerly of Sotheby’s, for Its Newly Created Role of Executive Director

Independent, the 10-year-old art fair that arguably looks and
feels the least like a commercial art fair of its peers, has made a
high-profile hire: Ashley Harris, the former marketing director of
Sotheby’s. She has been named executive director, a newly created
position, beginning in January; founder Elizabeth Dee will assume
the role of CEO.

In describing the appeal of Independent, Harris used a word
rarely associated with fairs (or, indeed, the art business in
general): responsible. “I think Independent is really responsible
in a lot of different ways,” Harris told Artnet News. “They keep
the art and artists at the top of the narrative. That is something
I think is critical in terms of the next generation and how the
fair model will evolve. They don’t necessarily equate growth with
success… we want to deliver better ways to serve the galleries and
the artists.”

Harris brings what she describes as an “untraditional
background” to the art fair, which may serve her well at a moment
when the art world is beginning to wrestle with what has become known as
“fair-tigue,” causing some dealers, and fairs themselves,
to pull back from the
events. For its part, Independent announced in June that it
would close its Brussels fair
to focus on its New York edition.

Harris started her career at behemoth advertising agency Ogilvy
and Mather and then went to a smaller boutique firm that
specialized in guerrilla and digital marketing. That’s where, she
says, she was “bitten by the content bug.” She created content for
businesses like Time Warner Cable and RR Donnelley before being
lured away by the Daily Beast, where she created sponsored content
for brands like Land Rover and National Geographic.

Harrison says she joined Sotheby’s at the right time, in 2016,
since both then-CEO Tad Smith and then-CMO David Goodman also came
from a media background. “It was a really good time for me since
they were so focused on innovation and audience growth,” she said.
(She is also likely leaving at the right time: the auction house
has been roiled by layoffs since
it was purchased by media tycoon Patrick Drahi.)

Dee said Harris stood out “due to a combination of her vision
and the depth of her expertise in marketing and branding.” She fit
the bill for “a talented leader to help me develop the future of
Independent while overseeing our organization,” which has recently
added staff in VIP services, communications, gallery and museum
relations, and production. “This requires broad spectrum leadership
to maximize success,” Dee said.

The post Independent Art Fair Hires Ashley Harris, Formerly
of Sotheby’s, for Its Newly Created Role of Executive Director
appeared first on artnet News.