A Toronto Artist Navigating the International Art Market: An Interview with Morgan Booth

By Laura Thipphawong

Morgan Booth's, Website: www.morganboothart.com, Instagram: @morganboothart

This interview is part of The Professional series – articles on the topic of life as a working artist.

Morgan Booth, Grounding, 16x12, Oil and Acrylic on Panel

The monetary value of art is never fixed. It’s a moving target relative to something as granular as the artist’s CV and as broad as the current state of global economics. Even if you make commercially viable art backed by several reputable galleries for a tried-and-true market, you may be sold out one year and selling nothing the next. Try to make sense of your prescribed worth as an artist, try to find predictability in your long-term sales, and you’re entering a world of pain.

Compounding the issue are considerations such as regional tastes. Toronto is the home of some of Canada’s most robust cultural institutions, such as the AGO, OCAD, and The Power Plant. The fringe scene, too, is still alive and (somewhat) well, depending on who you ask. But for the uninitiated—visitors or newcomers who don’t know exactly where to look—the cultural scene in Toronto can seem exceedingly corporate. Ironic that one of the most diverse cities in the world would gain a reputation for cultural uniformity.

Though we had never met, I felt that Morgan Booth would be the right person to talk to about regional and international art markets and how to navigate them. For years, I’ve been seeing her art pop up in some of my favourite American Pop Surrealism galleries, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that she is based in Toronto. I was not surprised, however, to confirm a shared perspective on the inclusion, or lack thereof, of strange and surreal art in the Toronto art scene. After reaching out to her through her website, she responded to me for a conversation about her experiences as a figurative surrealist painter based in a city that necessitates her branching out.

I will say without fear of hyperbole that most artists are not “doing it for the money”, yet the unsolvable problem of commodifying expressive, creative, non-functional objects is built into the career. Morgan is a prime example of an artist’s artist, and one who knows how to play the game while remaining true to her authentic creative self. That must be worth something.

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Laura Thipphawong: How have you experienced the contemporary art market in Toronto in recent years, especially for figurative surreal work?

Morgan Booth: I think there are certain places within the city where it's welcome, and I think there are some people that are really trying to spearhead a movement of creating a more accepting space for work that's in the surrealist or figurative realm, or art that's considered more offbeat or lowbrow. Northern Contemporary is definitely one of those spaces. Patel Brown is another space that I know shows more contemporary work, and I feel like with the fairs, with the Artist Project and Art Toronto, we're seeing a lot more contemporary vibes starting to come in. I think that the consensus up to this point, absolutely, has been trending towards art that is a little bit safer. I am referring to that kind of art that is more easily digestible, I guess, or what we're used to seeing in the Canadian landscape. I guess that can be a pun, because Canadian landscapes are one of the most dominant art movements here.

But I feel like there's a real effort to swing more into a contemporary space in the city, and I think that it's a small group of people trying really hard to create platforms and champion these artists. And so, I think that I'm hopeful that we're trending towards something a little bit more open.

Laura Thipphawong: In terms of safe, easily digestible art compared to unconventional art made by the weirdos, if you don't mind the term….

Morgan Booth: [Laughs] No, that’s fine—self-identified weirdo, for sure.

Laura Thipphawong: Okay, great. So, a couple of self-identified weirdos here. And the funny thing is, despite gentrification over the last twenty years, those communities of weirdos and lovers of weird art do still exist in Toronto, but still, many institutions and galleries seem to view unconventional art as a risk. What are they afraid of?

Morgan Booth: In terms of museums and non-profits, I think that they are trying to champion more contemporary stuff, but in terms of the commercial space, the risk for them is buyers. My experience of the Toronto art scene has been artists supporting artists, which is incredible, and I love it, and it's a wonderful community. But the work is difficult to sell when it's just this kind of echo chamber, because artists are not necessarily the demographic able to collect. So, a lot of commercial spaces favour art that they perceive as a safer investment to gain sales.

Laura Thipphawong: If that's the case, and you’re an artist who doesn’t work in a more traditional and conventional style, then what are the alternative markets for your work?

Morgan Booth: I definitely find that my work does a lot better in the States. A lot of that is because there's a larger market of buyers and a larger base of collectors. So, galleries can be riskier, because there's a larger pool to pull from, which is part of the reason why I think a lot of Canadian galleries tend to stay within the trends that they know are historically proven. It's important for me to be showing internationally, because I found that my work just gains more opportunity there, but I also do think that creating your own platform is incredibly important. Doing fairs and outdoor shows and things like that creates an opportunity for artists to make their own platforms. I do the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair online, because I'm able to reach a Canadian collector base, but it's also accessible to my international audience as well. But I would say the biggest thing for Canadian artists is being your own advocate online and showing your own strength in your ability to connect with people. That will get you more opportunities with spaces in Canada and beyond, because if Canadian galleries are seeing these artists getting attention or getting support, they're more likely to throw their support behind you as well.

Laura Thipphawong: It's kind of the bandwagon effect. And that's just human nature, right? You want to go to the party that's already good.

Morgan Booth: Yes, one hundred percent.

Laura Thipphawong: And unfortunately, popularity factors a great deal into your perceived legitimacy as a professional artist, but ultimately, there’s no definitive threshold for when an artist becomes professional. For you, when was that tipping point when you started to feel like a legitimate working artist?

Morgan Booth: Well, I feel like I’ve been an artist forever. I went to and dropped out of OCAD in 2010, and I've always been based in Toronto, but I started taking my painting more seriously in 2019. So that's kind of the marker of where I really started my dedication to my practice, and making an effort to show a lot more.

At that point, I was working as an art administrator for Art Battle, and that was just a really incredible, fun time. And it took up a lot of space in my life. It was a very positive experience, but I just didn't feel the drive to create in the way that I do now. I think I was very satisfied living in the art scene while not participating, necessarily, as an artist. As I went on, I just kept getting that itch of seeing other artists creating these incredible works. It made me confront the idea of why I’m not making my work.

I reduced my time, and then eventually left Art Battle and just ramped up my dedication to my practice, and I just started applying to things all through the pandemic. It was my goal to apply for something once a month at least.

Installation shots

Laura Thipphawong: So, you have worked in the past as an arts administrator and, as I understand it, you still work in that field. Do you think that there's a veil of secrecy about the idea of working full-time at another job when you’re a professional artist, especially when you promote yourself as an artist?

Morgan Booth: Oh, yeah, I think that there are definitely a lot of perceptions about that. And it's difficult to know where the line is in terms of sharing your personal life as an artist, and whether or not you want share that you do other work. It's a difficult line to tread. Even today, I just shared today for the first time, maybe in a year, that I'm a director in an arts administrative capacity for a nonprofit. And I thought about it before posting, because I'm excited about it—I'm really proud of it, but at the same time, do you want to break that perception that maybe you're doing this full time? I think the reality is that most of us are not doing this full-time, and even if we are putting in full-time hours, we're probably putting in part-time hours somewhere else. Artists, even if they are able to get to that full-time status, they really are not just artists, they're small business owners. And there's a lot of strategy related to creating income that is maybe more passive: selling prints and things like that. And yeah, there's definitely the myth of being the full-time artist as the end-all be-all or the best thing. And if it’s the most well-perceived, you might always want to create that perception of success around your work.

I do think that social media has opened a lot of opportunities for artists to be more honest about what their experience in the art world is, and I think that sharing more about your personal life helps people connect with you better, which then, in turn, often leads to better sales.

Laura Thipphawong: I appreciate your honesty because I feel that many artists do want more openness around this subject. The way people think of artists affects the way they support artists. If the public, especially potential collectors, are thinking of you as this fully engrossed art-making creature, and not someone who may also be serving drinks at a bar, or teaching, or working a desk job, then the idea of a “real” artist is still this ultra-privileged, out-of-touch, Romantic figure. Do you find that people still want to categorize artists in this way?

Morgan Booth: I’ve actually seen in application forms for certain art events, where you have to choose whether you're a full-time or part-time artist. I struggle with that, because to me I am a full-time artist. I am putting full-time hours every week into my art practice, but I also have a job that supports me. So, I don't feel like it's fair to ask artists to have to categorize themselves in that way.

Laura Thipphawong: I came across someone's artist bio recently, and I saw that the first line said they are a FULL-TIME artist, in all caps.

Morgan Booth: It's chasing that validation, and for me, it feels gatekeepy. And that can really impact creative energy as well. Any energy that you have is going to be impacted when you're worried about paying the bills. And yeah, I have immense admiration for artists who have made it work to be full-time artists, and I also have immense admiration for artists who are in that space where they're still working elsewhere, because the level of dedication you need to still be doing that when you're working elsewhere is incredible. I don't feel like we should put one over the other.

Laura Thipphawong: I was interviewed by someone once who asked me if being a full-time artist is every artist's goal, and I thought it was a really loaded question. I said that I think it’s likely most artists' fantasy, not goal. The fantasy is that we would be happier if we didn’t have to work other jobs, but I’m not sure that’s true.

Do you think that there is an opportunity to embrace the idea of working a day job, and that maybe we shouldn't bemoan it so much?

Morgan Booth: I do. Yeah, I think that there are a lot of things you can gain in working in a different space from your practice.

I would categorize that in two ways: One, you can work in an industry that's closely aligned with your practice. I work for an arts nonprofit, and I love it because I get to benefit from being around artists all the time, and that contributes to my practice, because I'm always encountering different people, having creative conversations and really getting an opportunity to bounce around and network. And two: Having something that's completely separate from your creative work can be beneficial as well, because as creatives, we often struggle to have boundaries around our creative work. If you have a job that you can actually clock out of, I think that's really healthy, and it gives your brain space, or works different kinds of muscles. And really, I feel like all of your life experience contributes to your creative practice.

Plus, if you're working a day job that requires any other array of skills, you're learning how to be an administrator for your art. Maybe you're learning business. Maybe you're learning sales. Maybe you're learning time management or time perception, like how long things really take. Any skills that you're building outside of your work that aren't necessarily directly related to your art are going to benefit you. Because, you need to know how to be a business, you need to know how to be an administrator, in order to be a successful artist in this day and age, if you're defining success in terms of selling and exhibiting.

Morgan Booth, Eternal, detail, Oil and Acrylic on Panel, 20" diameter, Awakening, Oil and Acrylic on Panel, 36"x24", Eternal, installation shot

Laura Thipphawong: I’m glad you brought it back to the perception of success, because I have kind of a thought experiment for you.

Let’s say there’s a scenario in which it was illegal to sell your art. Like, the government officials decided that you either make art just to make it and keep it, or that art exchange had to be a completely altruistic thing, and you could only give it away to someone who wanted it. How do you think that would change the way people make art?

Morgan Booth: That's super interesting. I think in that scenario, the way it would affect art as a whole is that we would have a lot less of it, mostly because if you have a financial incentive to create art, that certainly helps—a lot of artists really benefit from external accountability. So, working with galleries and having deadlines and things like that is something that drives you and helps you to create art. It certainly does for me.

But I also think that there would be more freedom and more weird stuff, and I feel like it would open avenues to people who have even more of a varying skill set. I feel like people who are not technically good at art would make more art because it would be normalized that everybody just makes art in their off time if there are no professional artists. There wouldn't be this need for financial validation within the art practice, and that would kind of break down gatekeeping.

The way it would affect me, is that I would still create work if there was opportunity to gather with other artists, because that's why I make my work. The reason why I participate in galleries and the artist community as a whole is because I love artists, and it makes me feel like I found my people. So, if I wasn't able to commodify my work, and that wasn't something that was a part of society, I would still make work, and I would just have to find a way to share it. I'm not sure how much work I would make if I wasn't able to share it, because making artwork for so many of us is about creating connection. I want my work to be seen and be connected with.

Yeah, so creating community with other artists and connecting with people and showing them this thing that exists that didn't before. I think we'd still be doing that.