This International Women's Day Auction has a totally different format to other years. We have invited seven female curators to each create an auction of female identifying artists, which will all run concurrently from 23rd February to 9th March. Read on to explore Carrie Scott's collection and read about the artists she's most excited about.
Register to Bid in Carrie's Mini Auction.
We're very excited about having seven female curators for this year's AOAP International Women's Day Auction. Do you think it's harder for women to be successful in the art world than it is for men?
Afraid so! I hate numbers, so it’s a minor miracle that I’d rely on them in an art interview but I have to in order to answer this question. The statistics just don’t lie. Though women earn at least half of the MFAs granted in the U.S., and 75% of the art degrees in Australia, they struggle to gain proportional representation. Only 13.7% of living artists represented by galleries in Europe and North America are women. And it’s not just bad for artists. The top three museums in the world, the British Museum (est. 1753), the Louvre (est. 1793), and The Metropolitan Museum of Art (est. 1870) have never had female directors. So, yes. It’s harder for women to be successful.
Can you tell us about how you got to the position you are in today?
When I was in graduate school at the University of Washington I interned for Bill and Ruth True, collectors based in Seattle. They had an incredible Director Eric Fredericksen running their ten year art space Western Bridge. Eric took me under his wing and they then introduced me to James Harris - who brought me on as his assistant. They also put me up for a job running Seattle University’s art space. I owe my career to those four people; Bill, Ruth, Eric, and Jim.
At AOAP we always try to champion rising talent. What emerging artist are you most excited about in your auction?
That’s like choosing a favourite child. Obviously we all have a favourite in any given moment, but it’s not nice to say now is it? But if you were going to make me pick, I’d say that Harriet Pattinson, Bindi Vora and Blaire Hawes give me all the tingly feels. Their aesthetics are so fresh and singular. I think they will carve exciting spaces for themselves in the history of art.
What artwork would you buy if money was no object?
If I was being honest, I’d buy two. I dream of owning a Jane Hammonds collage to hang across from a Matthew Day Jackson still life. One day.
What upcoming projects are you looking forward to in 2023?
John Pawson and I are collaborating on our second exhibition. This sees us launch his debut solo exhibition in Japan at The Mass, Tokyo. After that Bindi Vora, who features in my auction, has a book coming up on her series Mountain of Salt and we are planning an exhibition around the launch in May.