>> My name is Liz Parks and I'm
the owner of Parks Fine Art.
Which is a contemporary art advisory
firm that is based in New York City.
And what that means is I look for works of
contemporary art for private individuals
who are looking to build collections that
are esthetically meet their own tastes.
But that also are from artists who are
working at the top end of the market.
And that doesn't necessarily mean that
they're the most expensive artists,
although they definitely can be.
It means that these are artists who are
really pushing the envelope and that 100 years
from now, when the history books have
been written, these are the artists
that will probably, most likely be in them.
I look at art all day long.
I go to all the major art
fairs around the world.
I visit galleries on a regular basis.
My greatest breadth of knowledge is the New York
art world, which is probably slightly myopic.
But at the same time, it frankly
is the center of the art world.
And so I have in my head but also in my
iPhoto, a massive list of works of art
that are available for acquisition.
I -- and any time that I am at a gallery or
at an art fair, I am either photographing
on my own, or requesting jpegs from galleries.
And the art world can be quite exclusive.
And while my collector clients are my number
one priority, I also have a second of clients
who are the gallery owners and directors.
So secondarily, but almost of equal
importance is for me to maintain relationships
and friendships with them, so that they will
offer me the best work that is available.
If there is an art fair in town, I am at the art
fair all day, every day that it is occurring.
If there is not an art fair in town, I might do,
you know, one or two hour visits to galleries.
But when I'm sitting at my desk I
am either preparing presentations
for my clients to look at works of art.
Because many of them are
not located in New York,
so they can't always come
and see the work in person.
The benefit of working for ones self is
that you really can create your own hours.
But I try to be very diligent
about not getting sidetracked.
I work anywhere from 8:30 to 9:30 in
the morning until 6:00, 4 days a week --
or later, I mean because it does --
it often goes into the evening
in terms of gallery openings.
Or just staying at the office.
But -- and then I do -- my
day is a very quiet day
in the art world because galleries are not open.
So I work until 2:30 and pick up my
kids, and that's kind of my day with --
that I spend with my kids in the afternoon.
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