Last week, O’Toole-Ewald Art Associates Inc. (OTE) experts attended PULSE’s Cocktail & Conversations concerning the role of women in the art world. The invitation titled “Leaning in – Olympics of the Art World” discussed how emerging professional women in the art world practice leadership, mentoring, and explains the current climate for women in the industry. It was hosted in an elegant apartment with more than 50 women in attendance. There was a lot of energy from the crowd!

It was a pleasure hearing Helen Toomer, Director of PULSE Contemporary Art Fair, Sarah Cascone, Associate Editor of artnet; Justine Ludwig, Director of Exhibitions and Senior Curator at Dallas Contemporary; Bahia Ramos, Arts Program Director of the Knight Foundation and Marina Garcia-Vasquez, Editor-in-Chief of The Creators Project.

The conversation among them was very enlightening, especially when discussing the challenges and achievements that women face on a daily basis. For instance, there has been progress in the management and representation of galleries by women; the challenge now continues in terms of men acknowledging female decision-making role in the work place. The art field still shows more faith in men rather than in women.

All of the guest speakers considered themselves feminists and gave advice for future careers focused on mentoring and highlighting skills such as communication and empathy.

It was a good time for OTE to understand different gender perspectives in the art world as well as to know more about the current rising stars of the field. Thank you Helen Toomer and PULSE for this invitation!