Today we’d like to introduce you to Todd Marshall.
Hi Todd, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up traveling around the world, My father was a University professor and this provided our family with the opportunity to live in different countries for 6 mos at a time. Every five years we would travel and study abroad. I quickly gained an appreciation for the items of beauty in the world. I met my talented artist wife and we married in 1989. I received my undergraduate degree in 1996 from Brigham Young University, from 1995-1998 I worked directly with designers and corporate clients selling artwork as Marshall Arts. One of our clients partnered with me and In 1999 I opened my first gallery in Scottsdale AZ with DeeAn Gillespie Strub. It was called The Marshall Arts Gallery and it was a huge success. We represented local and regional artists from the Intermountain West and greater Southwest Area. I hand-selected each artist and created a gallery with exceptional artwork After this, I was asked to be the gallery director of Asietique in Scottsdale, AZ. This gallery was known for its high-end Chinese and Asian antiques, curated sculpture, and rare objects. I was able to create a unique blend of modern art and Chinese antiques, a fusion of both. Blue Chip artists including Motherwell, Rivers, Warhol, Dekooning, Indiana, Tomayo, and many others were shown. I helped integrate and curate those artworks and antiques into major collections.
I moved back to Utah to be closer to family and in 2002 opened Marshall Studios. In addition to original artwork sales, I focused on high-quality printing and editions and worked with artists to make a true matte canvas that they would actually like, prints at that time looked very shiny and cheap. I worked with collections helping to advise and color balance reproducing high-quality giclees prints that could be sold at museums. My clients included the State of Utah, Springville Museum of Art, Brigham Young Museum of Art, and more. In 2006, we moved to Salt Lake City, Utah and I continued printing for clients. As print demands in 2008 declined I started working in sales and traveled extensively around the world. I spent the next 10 years on the road and during this time I was connecting with artwork and museums and artists. This allowed me to see current works from everywhere in the country firsthand. I was able to find works for collectors and work directly with galleries to sell artwork. I found that I did not need to be bound by a physical gallery space to sell art. In 2010 I started CreekRoad Studios and I was able to combine fine art printing and publishing with the sale of original artwork from a curated and now select group of artists that I know and work with. In 2016 I added film and video production to CreekRoad Studios and I have been able to work on a number of projects that include media productions. In 2020 we released two documentary films about local artists. Each film has won numerous international awards and both focus on important social, cultural, and aesthetic themes. In 2018 I started Todd Marshall Contemporary, a private curatorial service and I am currently working with many international artists. I have an upcoming exhibition that includes many of these artists called Urban POP at the Bountiful Davis Art Center, located in Bountiful Utah from July 29 – Sept 10, 2022. Artists included are Niki De Saint Phalle, Okuda San Miguel, Ruben Rojas, Camomile Hixon, Lori Nelson, and many more local and regional artists.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One struggle along the way was to make time to see the artwork. It’s not easy to find art or art-related things in the areas that I would travel to. Art openings aren’t easy to attend as a traveler and with a work schedule, so I really had to organize and plan my time well. I also needed to meet clients on my time off from my full-time job in sales. Another difficulty for me has been not having a physical space to show the artwork, I have to “hustle” a little bit to get it seen.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have a private curatorial service. I work hard to help people connect with art. In my experience, a lot of professional and successful people haven’t had a lot of art education and aren’t that comfortable with art. I educate and provide confidence as I work to find relevant artwork for my clientele, I also help galleries, art centers, and artists get more sales by curating directly for my clients.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Selling art as a profession is a risk. I have tried to mitigate it but it is a fickle business. It was a big risk for me to get off the road and to focus full time on the selling of art. I don’t take risks with the business but being in the business of art is a risk.
Contact Info:
- Website: creekroadstudios.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toddmarshallcontemporary/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ToddMarshallContemporary/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChB5Cgdh9vWIfcwQV9hADgQ
