Janet Galore and Demi Raven are more than collectors: The definition of art world multihyphenates, they are practicing artists, curators, and community organizers—on top of their day jobs in tech and home renovation.
After they met and fell hard for each other in 2012, Janet and Demi married and merged households. But not just any old house. In 2015, they purchased an empty grocery store on Beacon Hill and spent the next few years building out their dream art abode. The Grocery Studios is outfitted with a 1,000-square-foot ground-level space to accommodate performances, pop-up exhibitions, and art happenings of every stripe. Upstairs in the cozier living quarters, the walls are lined with paintings and photographs, the nooks are populated with intricate sculptures and art curios, and flat files double as treasure chests, brimming with prints, collectibles, and ephemera.
We popped into the Grocery to explore their eclectic collection, which includes artists from across the street to across the globe, from Saya Moriyasu to Ben Ashton.
Amanda Manitach: What’s the last piece of art you bought?
Janet Galore: A small piece by Jason Puccinelli, from Roq La Rue.
AM: Do you know the number of pieces in your collection?
Demi Raven: It's probably on the edge of 300 or 350. Not everything is hung. There’s probably about 250 on the walls.
AM: Before you got together, you had both already been collecting art on your own. How did that start for each of you?
DR: I grew up in an art family. My mother painted. We always had art on the walls. I still have the Dali print that I grew up with. In art school, everyone traded art, which is how my collection grew till I got a better-paying job much later. JG: I was more DIY, living in Belltown in the ’90s, when it was still light industrial. You could make 500 bucks a month and have a space to live and make art or curate. I was always going to exhibitions and hanging out with artists. I didn't have much money, so I'd save up and get a 75-dollar piece, or I would work out a trade.
AM: And you two met through the local art scene?
JG: At the time Demi came to town, we were both with different people. When we finally did meet, we realized we must have been in the same room so many times, at the same art openings. DR: Marlow Harris introduced us, and then mutual friends sold me on Janet pretty quick.
AM: You were vetted by the Seattle art world!
DR: Absolutely. I was like “Who's this Janet Galore everyone is telling me about?” And they’d be like “Oh my god, are you going to date Janet Galore? That's such good news!” JG: By that time, we’d both gotten into the tech world, so we had a bit more means, and that common bridge of tech, too. We could talk both worlds. DR: In terms of collecting, that was a bit of a shift: More discretionary income meant we could buy work from places like Roq La Rue and Winston Wachter. Now the problem is more figuring out how to fit it all on the wall. JG: We also had an aesthetic that matched really well. We like representational stuff. We like surrealist-oriented or informed pieces. Dada and punk, geometric things. Then there’s a lot of quirky stuff that’s hard to put a finger on. DR: We like things that are provocative. I like living around pieces that make us think a little.
AM: Do you have any hard-and-fast rules about collecting?
JG: Mostly just space. We can't get anything too big at this point. At the moment, we're still paying off some things, so we're slowing down, too. DR: You have to remember: You only get one chance. If you miss it and you could have gotten it, you'll think about it forever. That happens for me with books, too—the only books I really regret are the ones I didn't buy.
AM: How do you know where things will go?
JG: We discuss it. Some rooms come together thematically, like our bedroom. Like our Nola Avienne piece—we have a few of hers—above the bed. This one is made from eye shadow pigments containing minerals like iron that she smeared into shapes using magnets. It’s wonderful. Also a lot of animals in the space, some of them delicate, weird, creepy. I love that tension. A dreamy space to dream.
AM: Do you feel that it actually influences the kind of dreams you have?
DR: I hope so! We both talked about what we wanted there, because it’s the first thing you see. It touches something primal, deep-down, emotive.
AM: That’s the thing about collecting art: It gets into your psyche. It becomes part of the fabric of you.
JG: That's how I think about it too—providing a prompt or provocation. Like listening to music. It gets you into a certain space, but on a visual level. DR: It’s also just really wanting to surround yourself with the vibe of a certain person's work, and of the person themself. That energy becomes part of your life when it's hanging around you.
AM: What's your advice to young collectors?
JG: The most obvious is to get out there and see things. If you find something that resonates and you can afford it, get it. If you can't afford it, see if you can make payments. DR: Try to push yourself beyond your comfort zone, especially if you're not used to going to galleries, museums, or fairs. Some works don't reveal all their layers at first glance, so get used to talking to the gallery owner. Go to openings and at least tell the artist, “I appreciate your work.” Ask them about it. Just, you know, think of a question besides How long did this take you? JG: There's something magical about taking a Saturday afternoon and going to a neighborhood with a bunch of galleries to just see what's there.
Go with someone else and have a discussion about it over a beer or a lunch afterward. What'd you connect to? What did you like? What pissed you off? All that stuff. Learn about yourself. Because art is fundamentally also about self-education. What resonates with your personality tells you a lot about yourself. Think about how you're feeling about it, and get curious about that feeling. DR: But ultimately, collecting is investing in people, not just an investment in an object or an original. Fundamentally, it's an appreciation for the diversity and creativity of people, an appreciation of the ability for people to do dynamic things. I really love that about collecting. It's hopeful. So I hope more people do it.
