by Monica Chamness
Staff Writer
Growing up on the Northside, Kwabene Diallo-Sekou Seabrooks, who goes simply by Diallo, witnessed the poverty and lack of education of his peers and vowed to do better.
Earlier this month, he opened Diallo Gallery/Studio on Main Street in the growing arts district in Springfield.
“I have an entrepreneurial mind,” said Diallo, which means bold peace fighter in Swahili. “When I was downtown doing research I saw the amount of money laid out in the Better Jacksonville Plan. It lays out the residual income in the area. There’s a lot of money in this area [Springfield].”
Without much encouragement to educate himself and no male role model at home to follow, Diallo knew he had to take charge of his own life. He enrolled in the art program at Tampa Technical Institute and learned the fundamentals, such as how to use the right materials. After trying the art scene in Atlanta and New York, Diallo realized that most galleries have a narrow line of work they are willing to exhibit.
“All galleries have a niche,” he said. “Lee Harvey’s gallery doesn’t have realism. Another gallery might have just classical. Some galleries only take people who are self-taught. That’s one reason I have this gallery; I like to be cutting edge.”
Although he is a self-taught artist, his business philosophy is to open the gallery to emerging artists of all disciplines, whether it is representational, abstract or any other variety.
“I like to break new artists into the scene, ones that are rookies, very green, not individuals that are already made,” he explained. “My goal is to have venues for them to launch from. As an artist, it’s hard as hell to get into a gallery.”
Every three months, Diallo plans to have a new exhibition at the gallery. He already has two other artists committed for upcoming shows.
The gallery is his first business venture and he’s been taking cues from other gallery owners to learn how the industry works. Part of his strategy is to market himself as an artist to art aficionados to generate interest in his pieces, which draw heavily on the African-American experience. He also intends to travel to art shows and a few festivals nationwide.
“I go out to other art venues, network and do some marketing on Blacksonville.com,” said Diallo. “I treat the art business like the music industry. It’s like chasing a record deal. You have 20 pieces, which would be your album, but I’m hoping that one of them, which would be the single, will be a hit.”
Lydia Stewart, museum administrator at Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum, has asked to borrow Diallo’s work, “Governed,” for the museum.
Along with wife and co-owner, Angela, Diallo also plans to rent the 2,000 square-foot gallery for social events.
“I never liked working for other people,” he said. “So I created an avenue where I never have to work for anybody again. I’m trying to break that whole concept of the struggling artist. Fame and money is one reason why we do this. You should enjoy it while you’ve alive.”
One day he would like to leave his day job as a counselor-in-training at Gateway to devote his full attention to the gallery. Until then, he’s getting by with a little help from The Artists’ Firm, a group of artists who got together for mutual support. Collaborative marketing, fundraising and art show tours help the members gain exposure. One of his friends in the business, Suzanne Pickett of Pickett & Watts Gallery, held a show with him last year.
“In Atlanta, I would have been just going along with the flow,” he explains of why he returned to Jacksonville. “Here, I’m making more of an impact. My need is to spend time in our community showing kids that you can come from the projects and own your own company or come out of prison and still do good. The whole thing is about having determination. If you don’t set goals for yourself and listen to your elders, you’re going nowhere.”