WHEN Lisa Who and her partner Wayne Heaton shifted their London business Curve Gallery to Newcastle in 2012, their first exhibition exclusively featured international artists.
"It was our point of difference," Who says. "It allowed us to approach established Newcastle artists who understood my curating experience. Those relationships have stood us in good stead."
When COVID-19 shut the Hunter Street gallery, it was these artists, and emerging ones, who drove its efforts to not only survive but thrive.
"I thought, 'We need to reach out to more artists who have lost their jobs and can't continue their practice, and broaden our scope to link in to creatives, designers and makers," Who says. "The biggest difference between the GFC, when we were in London, and COVID was that the GFC was economic but COVID had a big impact on the social aspect. We are in the 'people business'."
Who says artists have a vital community role: boosting mental health amid uncertainty and disconnection.
"They are able to distill feelings into objects of beauty that give people a real lift," she says. "Artists are the light givers, the thinkers, and bring in that positivity - back to community as a society."
At the start of COVID, Who realised Curve's street window gallery was an ideal space to continue to support artists and stay connected to clients and community. Artists exhibited included Ken O'Regan, Jane Lander, Gavin Vitullo, Marlene Houston, Alessia Sakoff, Robyn Woolston (UK), Penny Dunstan and Luke Beezley.
"It was a bit like [British artist Damien] Hirst's shark tank," she says. "We called it the Isolation View exhibition but our [Instagram] hashtag was Keeping the Lights. It was about letting people know we were still there, being a beacon," she said.
She ramped up her social media using the Skill Finder "marketplace" to learn video skills: "Now I love Instagram and people are buying pieces off it. It was heartening."
Big opening nights are some time off, but Who believes clients still crave the experience.
Curve's current and rotating SHAPE exhibition features Newcastle artists.
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